Holding On Tight To You
by Jennifer Collins
Summary: Tony starts to realize that being back doesn't come without complications. Sequel to Consumed.
1. Chapter 1

The sinking feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach the moment he'd realized that Clint had returned alone spread throughout his entire body as he listened to his friend's account of what had taken place on Vormir. He idly listened to the others reacting to the news, the tears threatening to overflow behind his big dark glasses.

A million unfinished thoughts ran through his mind faster than he could reconcile them with the fact that he'd never see her again as he choked out, "Do we know if she had any family?"

He was only certain of one thing as he took in the pain on everyone else's faces: he missed her now, and he would miss her for an eternity.

Broken, he pulled his glasses off and folded them up as he took in a deep, defeated breath, not even caring who saw him wipe the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.

He remembered closing his eyes, but somehow there was a bright, white light and he had to blink a few times to clear his head. The first thing he noticed was that the noise, any kind of noise was gone. They won, he knew that much and somewhere, far away in the back of his mind, he knew what it cost, even if he couldn't dwell on it.

Her hair was like fire, her features so clear and if this was heaven, then she must have been made an angel for her sacrifice.

She lit up with recognition and the feeling of dread he'd carried with him disappeared when she spoke. At least until he saw it on her face as the dawn of the gravity of how he ended up here with her registered on her face.

Then she touched his face and nothing else seemed to matter.

He wondered inwardly what this place was, only he must have said it out loud because she answered.

She called it the sun, and he pointed out that it wasn't the sun. She tried to explain that it was white, endless, and hot, sometimes cold and all consuming. Then she smiled and suddenly he understood what this sun was.

Her eyes were wide and doe-like when she told him that she didn't know how to get out of this place.

"Well, then I guess you're stuck with me for an eternity, darling," He said.

She smiled again, a small one, but yeah, this was the sun.

He mentally calculated things like time, space, distance and force but none of those things seemed to make sense. He just needed to sit, just needed to close his eyes for a second.

She promised him that it would be okay, that she would watch over him if he wanted to try to sleep. He wasn't sure if he even could, here.

"Let me know if you dream," she whispered softly.

He was pretty sure that if he did, it would be about her.

They talked for a long time, but then again it also could've been a short time and it wouldn't have made a difference. She told him stories from when she was young, stories covered in blood.

He told her similar stories filled with fear from his other life and she nodded in understanding. Then she started dancing. They talked, and she danced. And she danced, and they talked.

Until she invited him to dance beside her. He didn't know how, but he thought he could learn. If he had an eternity to spend, he would spend it dancing beside her.

Her eyes were wide and soft, and she was looking to him for answers, but of course he didn't have any. He tried to give her some anyway, tried to make it okay.

"What do you want?" He asked her.

"I just want to feel something again," she whispered.

That he could do. He could make her feel something. He would make her feel something.

He leaned closer, tilting her head back as he kissed her. All his spoiled life she was the one thing he'd wanted that he could never have.

Her lips were soft and gentle as she kissed him back, holding him, touching him, and if this is how they were meant to spend eternity then he could do it.

She kissed him again and again and he kissed her and yeah, he could do it.

Her mouth was soft, endless, and all consuming. And he wanted to devour all of it.

Her eyes were closed as he kissed her with everything he had left to give, but then he felt the pull, felt her being pulled away and her eyes shot open at the same time his did.

"No," he said, although he wasn't sure if it was out loud or in his head. "Don't go."

He pulled her arm in a panic, trying desperately to keep her next to him. "I want you," he told her, but he wasn't sure if she could hear him. "I just want you for eternity….."

And then she was gone, again. And he missed her.


	2. Chapter 2

His eyes shot open, his breath coming fast and short as he panicked for a moment in the darkness before he settled his head back against a pillow, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Tony?" a soft voice said beside him, bringing him back and grounding him in his new reality.

Natasha had taken to crawling in between his sheets on most nights since they'd been back (all of them really, since she'd figured out that she could), and now she was reaching for him, her face etched in concern.

"It's okay," he whispered reassuringly.

"Was it another dream?" She whispered back, her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine," he said softly, pulling the covers over her. "Go back to sleep, sweetheart."

She slowly lay back down, her head resting on his shoulder as she turned into him and a warm, tingling sensation started to spread through him.

He put an arm around her, clutching her close and slipping his fingers between her t-shirt and shorts as he pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

"Your heart is racing," she murmured as she snuggled into his chest.

She fell back asleep almost instantly and he lay awake for awhile longer, trying to memorize the feeling of her breath on his skin and imagining that it could wash over him and calm his nerves.

XXXXX

The shower in his quarters was running when he got back to the tower after tucking in Morgan for the night and he frowned, knowing that she'd already had one earlier in the day.

That was the other thing Natasha had taken to since they'd gotten back; incessant showers, trying to scrub away the feeling of…. well, he supposed he knew what she was trying to scrub away better than anyone else in this tower did.

Her eyes brightened when she saw him as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom, pushing her damp hair back with her hand.

"Hey," he said, offering a genuine smile as he made his way over to her with open arms.

"Wait…" she said, her eyebrows furrowing. "Do I smell like….?"

He shook his head. "No, sweetheart. You smell perfect," he assured her.

Finally, she grinned and stepped into his embrace. "I missed you today," she said as she squeezed him.

And electric current traveled up his spine and his heartbeat increased at her close proximity. "I missed you too, darling," he said truthfully, breathing in the scent of her shampoo.

"Tony…" she murmured as he pressed a kiss into her neck.

"Okay, okay. I'm stopping," he whispered, although his heart was still racing.

"It's not that, it's just….. can't we just wait until the ink is dry?"

XXXXX

"Do we actually have to sign divorce papers if there's a death certificate?" He wondered, wrinkling his nose as his pen hovered in mid-air.

"Tony. You know as well as I do that the death certificate was shredded in the presence of our entire legal team," Pepper said.

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes unconsciously darting towards his bedroom.

"What, is she here?" Pepper said. "I guess I always knew that if she gave you an inch, you'd be walking all over her for miles," she spat.

"It's not like that," He said, his voice a little more harsh than he'd intended. "And seriously? You've GOT to be kidding me. Was my body even cold when you….?"

"Screw you, Tony!" She shouted, angrily scribbling her signature and thrusting the papers into his chest.

He sighed as he took them from her. "We doing this, Pep? It's already hard enough without us being mean to each other."

She covered her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she began sobbing.

He set the papers down on the table before he crossed the room, embracing her fiercely. "I know," he murmured, fighting back his own tears. "I know."

"I still love you, you know," she cried. "And I always will."

"I love you too. Always."

She took a shuddering breath as she stepped away from him. "Are you ready?" She asked, handing him the pen.

He swallowed thickly as he took it from her, scrawling his full name on the dotted line.

"Well," she said. "I guess that's that."

He nodded. "I guess it is."

"I really am sorry, Tony," she said tearfully.

"Me too."

She patted his cheek with her hand. "I'll be back on Tuesday to pick up Morgan."

"Alright." He caught her hand in his, raising it to his lips and placing a kiss across her knuckles. "See you then."

He silently walked her to the door, watching without speaking as she disappeared into the elevator with an uncertain wave.

"Are you okay?" A gentle voice asked after awhile.

He placed a hand over his face, rubbing the tears out of his eyes before he turned around to find Natasha leaning against the doorframe. "No," he said quietly.

"That's okay," she whispered softly, taking a tentative step towards him. "Sorry. I just thought you might need a friend."

He nodded slowly and she closed the distance between them.

"What can I do?" she asked gently.

He shrugged. "I guess a hug from my favorite redhead can't hurt."

She wrapped her arms around his middle, ducking into his embrace and leaning her head against his chest. "It's going to be okay, Tony."

He rested his cheek on her head, closing his eyes as the familiar tingling sensation spread through him at her touch.

After a moment she raised her chin, looking up at him. "Want to go get some cheeseburgers?"

He managed a small smile. "Mmmm… you know what I like."

"I do," she said softly, running her fingers gently through his hair.


	3. Chapter 3

"You know, for a super spy, you're not very subtle."

Natasha blinked as her attention focused away from the tv monitor broadcasting the news and back to her best friend. Having the news playing in the background was an old habit of his, and she'd been mentally comparing the little things that hadn't changed to the big things that had since she'd been back, which was a new habit of hers.

"What?" She asked.

"You do realize that you have to get past my bedroom to sneak into his every night, right?" Clint said with a frown. "Honestly I think I like this whole thing with you and Stark less than I liked the idea of you and Banner. It's way worse."

Natasha wrinkled her nose. "How is it worse?"

"I don't know. But it's the same," he said with a shrug.

"I think it's sweet," Laura cut in, giving him a playful shove.

"Whatever," she muttered. "It's not like we're having sex or anything."

Clint covered his face dramatically. "That's a visual I definitely didn't need."

"What? I said we're not."

"Yeah, but saying you're not also invites the possibly that you could be and…. "

"And what?" Laura piped in with a mock pout. "Are you jealous that you won't be the most important man in her life anymore? Is little Clint afraid he's going to lose his best friend?"

Natasha grinned as she ruffled his hair affectionately. "Come on, Barton. You know that no one could ever replace you," she said, forcing a sickly sweet tone.

He grunted, clearly unhappy with their teasing. "I'm gonna go find the kids."

"I think that's a good idea," Natasha said.

"He's lucky he's cute," Laura added.

"Yeah," she said with a nod.

"So, girl's day today? We can go shopping for something hot for you to wear for Stark," Laura said with a wink.

"I can still hear you!" Clint grumbled on the way to the elevator.

The girls laughed.

XXXXX

Natasha sat on the couch with her legs folded under her, eyeing Tony without turning her head. She'd started inviting him to some of her sessions with Sophie, the psychologist the Team had hired for the past five years since Thanos and who Natasha had been seeing on a regular basis since she'd been back.

It wasn't exactly easy talking about that place in front of anyone, let alone him, but then she'd figured that she didn't really have any more secrets from him anyway and if anyone understood what she was trying to express, it would be Tony.

She waited until the older woman had left the office and closed the door before she turned her head towards him. "You don't like her."

"I didn't say that," he said, still slouching against the back of the couch with his arms crossed over his chest.

She smiled. "You didn't not say it either."

He shrugged non-commitally.

"You've been uncharacteristically quiet since you started having those dreams," she pressed. "I guess you don't have to mention them to Sophie, but maybe you should talk to someone."

"They're not exactly dreams," he started. "More like memories."

"Of…. the sun?" She asked, her voice several octaves lower as she slid closer to him.

He nodded, stretching an arm out across the back of the couch behind her until she leaned on him and he wrapped both his arms around her. "See that? Nothing a hug from my favorite redhead can't fix," he murmured into her hair.

He raised a hand to the back of her head, lightly stroking her braid and she was almost purring as she snuggled into his chest. "How about you, sweetheart? You feeling okay?" He asked, his lips close to her ear as the tingling sensation she always caused spread through him.

"Mmmm-hmmmm," she said, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "What about Jeff?" She asked after a few minutes.

Jeff was Tony's therapist from before.

"Have you talked to him lately?"

Tony shook his head, fishing in his pocket for his cell phone. "No. But I guess it's worth a shot."

She eased back so he could stand and he pressed a button on the phone, holding it up to his ear. "Yeah, Tony Stark here. I'd like to see when Jeffrey Rice has a next available appointment?"

Her brow furrowed as she looked up at him, his fingers moving over his beard, jaw tense and mouth set in a straight line. "I see," He said evenly to the other person on the line. "Well, thank you very much. No, no that's all," he stated before clicking the phone off and shoving it back in his pocket.

Natasha frowned. "What is it?"

Tony sighed. "Jeff was dusted in the snap while he was driving home to his wife. The blip returned him exactly to where he was and he crashed into a storefront while avoiding another car."

He looked away from her. "He didn't make it."

She stood, closing the distance between them and placing a hand on his shoulder from behind. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "You okay?"

He nodded, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Of course. I'm always okay."

XXXXX

Tony pushed Steve's wheelchair down the long hall on the way to breakfast. "Come on, Stevie! Doesn't this thing go any faster? You know, I could soup it up for you, if you want. Give me a few hours. I'll have this thing gliding faster than a Quinjet."

Steve chuckled, his bright blue eyes gleaming. "I'm sure you do need a new project, but that won't be necessary." He looked closely at Tony.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" Steve said, raising an eyebrow.

"Like you're going to ask me something I don't want to answer."

"Tony. I know you've been doing a great job of checking in on Natasha, but who's checking in on you?"

"You, apparently."

Steve nodded. "You're damn right. How are things going since the divorce?"

Tony shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I get to see my daughter every night and things with Pepper and Happy are at least civil."

"But?"

He sighed. "I get that things happened while I was gone and it's going to be an adjustment. But out of all the things that changed…. I don't know, I guess I just never thought I'd be in a position where I have to figure out how to get along with my family."

Steve placed a bony, wrinkled hand over Tony's and squeezed it before they stepped into the kitchen.

Tony nodded to all of their friends, wheeling Steve over to sit next to Sam before he moved to where Natasha was standing at the counter.

His face brightened when he saw her and he leaned casually next to her. "Hello, darling," he said.

"Hey," she said. Her face was pale and she was holding a hand to her head.

He frowned. "What is it?"

She shook her head. "Nothing in particular… I don't think. I just don't feel so well."

"What's wrong?" He raised his hands up, feeling her neck and forehead and then gently framing her face with his palms when he didn't find a fever. "C'mere. Let me get you some water."

"I actually think I feel better now."

"You sure?" He asked gently. "I'll make an excuse for you if you want to go upstairs and get some rest."

She smiled, closing her fingers over his wrists. "Maybe I just needed to catch my breath for a minute." She frowned slightly when she felt his pulse flutter beneath her fingertips. "Are you okay?"

He nodded.

"Tony, your heartrate just picked up dramatically."

He shrugged. "Maybe there's been something going around the tower we didn't know about. I feel fine, though."

"Okay…" she said, still gazing at him with a look of concern on her features.

He gently kissed the top of her forehead. "Come on. Let's go have some breakfast with our friends."


	4. Chapter 4

Tony stood at the counter, one hand gripping Morgan's waist as he steadied her at his side, the other holding a spatula and poking at his pancake mix.

"Daddy?" the little girl asked quietly.

"Yes, peanut?" He turned his head away from the frying pan and leaned in close to her, smiling when she ran her hand thoughtfully over his goatee.

"Mommy says Auntie Nat might be spending more time with us. Is it because you liiiiiiiiiiike her?"

He paused, taking in her soft features as she fidgeted with his collar, not looking at him.

"Hey. Look at me a second," He said, waiting for her eyes to meet his. "Is it okay if she does?"

"Do you think she'd play with us?" Morgan said, tilting her head to the side.

"I think she definitely would if you ask her. You like Auntie Nat, right?"

She nodded, biting her lip as she moved her head up and down and then a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Are you going to kiss her?"

"That's enough questions. Help me pour this batter into this pan," He said, trying to sound stern even though he couldn't keep a straight face.

Just then, Natasha breezed through the kitchen, pausing when she saw them.

The girl giggled, but Tony held a finger over his lips, eyes wide as he silently told her to be quiet.

Natasha grinned as she reached for a coffee mug. "What are you two up to?"

"Morgan missed breakfast, so we're making it for dinner," Tony explained as he balanced his daughter on his hip.

"Ooooh… pancakes," she said with a nod of approval.

"Yup. I've graduated from scrambled eggs thanks to you."

Morgan gestured for Tony to put her down and he set her carefully on the floor, pausing to whisper something loudly in her ear.

She whirled around and took off, running to Natasha with the full speed of a five year old. "Auntie Nat, Auntie Nat!" She exclaimed.

Natasha crouched down until she was eye level with the girl. "Yes, baby girl?"

"Do you want to play with us?" She asked with a serious expression on her face.

"I would love to," Natasha said just as seriously. "What should we play?"

Morgan shrugged. "Can I ask you a different question?"

"Of course."

"Do you want my daddy to kiss you?"

She froze, her eyes widening slightly. "Umm…. what?" She asked, gazing up at the counter at Tony from her perch on the floor, but he averted his eyes, clearly trying to hide a smile behind his hand.

"Cause my mommy says you should never let a boy kiss you unless you really want him to."

"Yeah, your mommy's a smart lady," she said carefully.

"So… do you want him to?"

"Um…"

"Morgoona! Come and get these pancakes before I eat them all," Tony said, his cheeks slightly flushed with a wide grin.

"Do you think I can take some pancakes to Lila and Cassie?" She asked with her head cocked to the side again.

"I think that's a great idea. But no staying up too late with the girls. Bedtime still holds in this house too, you know."

She dramatically stuck out her bottom lip, although her eyes were shining as she grabbed the plate from him and ran to the elevator.

Natasha let out a breath as soon as the girl had gone. She slowly made her way around to the other side of the counter and Tony chuckled softly.

"Not funny," she said with a groan.

"It was a little funny," Tony replied.

"I'm not so good with kids."

"What are you talking about?! You've done this three times already with the Bartons. Just relax, you're fine."

She stepped closer to him, hugging him from the side.

"What's this for?" He asked, clearly pleased as he wrapped an arm around her waist and turned to face her.

She shrugged. "No reason. I just felt like it."

"Okay, then," he said, embracing her tightly for a minute.

"So… " He said in a lower voice, his hand sliding along her jaw as he drew her closer. "Do you want Morgan's daddy to kiss you?"

She tilted her head back, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck as his lips met hers.

"Mmmmm….." she murmured, eyes closing as she kissed him back.

He pulled her into him, holding her against the counter as he deepened the kiss and a warm, tingling sensation shot up her arms and spread everywhere his body touched hers.

She ran her hands through his hair, sighing softly.

"Do you feel that?" He whispered, leaning his forehead against hers and locking his eyes on hers.

She nodded. "I always feel it," she whispered back.

He gulped slightly, his heart pounding in his ears as he lowered his head to kiss her again.

XXXXX

He breathed deeply as the stethoscope pressed against his chest.

"All your scans came back normal, Stark," Stephen Strange was saying. "There doesn't appear to be anything wrong."

Tony frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Heart sounds perfectly fine too. And honestly, after what you went through, the memories popping up in your dreams seems really, really normal. Maybe you're just feeling a little disoriented since you've been back?"

He shook his head. "What about the ah, physical reaction?"

Strange looked at him quizzically.

"When I'm around Natasha," Tony prompted as if this wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation.

Stephen rolled his eyes. "She's an insanely attractive woman. I'm sure plenty of guys experience a physical reaction when they're around her, Stark."

"That's not what I'm talking about," he said through gritted teeth. "And geez, can you please show a little respect when discussing my friend?"

"I'd have to see it in action," Strange said. "It's not exactly like I've brought people back from the dead before, you know. Whatever reaction, either emotional or physical you're experiencing, I'm learning as we go, same as you."

"You've been awfully quiet," Tony said, gazing across the room to where Bruce was standing against a wall, chewing on his thumbnail.

Bruce shrugged. "We'll probably have to talk to Nat too."

Tony shook his head. "I don't want to alarm her. Let's just keep it between us until we know more."


	5. Chapter 5

Natasha slowly crept away from the common area, her back against the wall in the hallway as she slid around the corner and into the library, breathing a sigh of relief.

It only took her a nano second to realize that she wasn't alone, although her companion had barely moved when she entered the room.

"Bucky!" She said in surprise as he abruptly stood up from the chair he'd been occupying. "What are you doing in here by yourself?"

"I was just waiting for Steve," he said cautiously as he backed away slowly with his hands spread in front of him. "I'm here to pick him up."

"You don't have to do that, Buck," she told him. "You're an Avenger. You're welcome here."

He shrugged. "Not everyone shares that sentiment. And I could ask you the same thing. Why are you alone?"

She lowered her eyes. "They're all having a meeting about the future of the Team. Seriously, all of them. Even Thor's here by satellite. I don't know, I guess it was just a little overwhelming. I just wanted to get away for a second."

He nodded. "I can totally understand that."

She offered a small smile. "Well, Steve's with Tony. So you might be here for awhile."

He didn't say anything for a moment, still watching her carefully. Finally, he opened his mouth at the same time she did and they both laughed awkwardly.

"You first," she said.

"How are you holding up? After coming back?"

She looked up at him in surprise, caught off guard by the personal question, but after a closer look she found him gazing at her intently, blue eyes soft with understanding.

She sighed. "Honestly? It's a bit much sometimes."

"What, waking up in the same place you left, only it's totally different than what you knew? And you feel like you're on your own trying to figure it all out?"

She nodded, her smile widening. "I guess you'd know something about that, wouldn't you?"

"You're not alone. At least, you don't have to be."

"I guess we're part of the same club," she said quietly.

Finally, he cracked a smile. "They should make us t-shirts."

"Nat?" She heard from the hallway outside, turning her head just in time to see Tony come barreling through the door.

He froze in his tracks, eyes widening slightly and she turned her attention back to Bucky to see that he had tensed considerably. "What's going on here?" Tony asked.

"Um… I was just… just here to pick up Steve," Bucky said. "I can wait for him outside."

Natasha held her breath as she watched them cautiously, each unmoving with their eyes expertly trained on the other, and she took an invisible step forward, ready to jump in if she needed to.

Tony swallowed hard before composing his expression, although she could see that his jaw was still a little tense. "That won't be necessary," he said softly.

Bucky looked up in surprise.

Tony nodded behind him. "He's in the kitchen. Why don't you go join him? That's where the rest of the team is."

Bucky lowered his head as he took a few steps towards the door. "Thank you, Mr. Stark."

Tony's eyes met Natasha's for a split second before he turned his head towards the younger man on his way out. "Hey, kid?"

He paused in the doorway, eyes wide and round as he regarded his host silently.

"It's Tony."

Bucky's expression softened for just a second and he nodded gratefully as he left the room.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"Mmm-hmmm."

She closed the distance between them, linking her arm through his and resting her head against his shoulder. "It's okay if you're not," she said softly.

He leaned his head down. "Who told you that? Stevie?"

"You did," she said with a grin.

"Hmmmm. Out of all the things I ever said, you pick that to actually listen to?"

"Tony…."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Hug from your favorite redhead?"

"Yes, please," he said, wrapping his arms around her.

She closed her eyes, embracing him tightly.

"I think you had the right idea," he murmured softly against her hair. "It's much quieter in here."

"Your heart is racing again," she said, pulling away and stumbling slightly in the process.

He reached out an arm to steady her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just got a little dizzy for a second."

"Here, sit down," he said, gesturing to a chair.

She shook her head. "I'm okay."

"Did you eat anything today? Let's go to the kitchen. Bruce made pasta for tonight."

She pursed her lips. "Tony. Are you having panic attacks again?"

He sighed. "I don't know," he said quietly, leaning his forehead against hers. "What about you? You haven't been feeling well these last few days, have you?"

"I actually feel better now."

"Yeah?"

She smiled, holding out her hand. "Well enough to eat that pasta, at least."

XXXXX

"Can you describe these moments of elevated heartrate, Mr. Stark?"

Tony sighed, leaning back into the couch next to Natasha and trying not to appear too uninterested. "I don't know. It happens whenever things get intense, I guess."

"And have you noticed a correlation between those moments of panic and your nightmares?" The older woman with the tight gray curls asked.

He shrugged. "It's not nightmares. More like memories of that place."

"But you experience these flashes of memory while you're sleeping?"

"Sometimes."

Natasha's eyes drifted back and forth between Tony and Sophie, although she kept her chin resting in her hand.

"Natasha described that place as the sun, Mr. Stark. Would you say it's the same?"

"I mean technically speaking it can't be the sun," he started. "But I suppose I see why she calls it that."

"Do you always speak in technical terms?"

"No. But I do always stick to my own schedule and it looks like it's time to go," He said, trying hard not to roll his eyes.

He gently nudged Natasha, who smiled apologetically on the way out.

"How'd I do?" He asked. "Much better than last time, yeah?"

"You still don't like her," she said flatly.

"I really, really don't."


	6. Chapter 6

Tony sat in the center of the plush couch in his quarters, between Natasha and Morgan. He made a move to turn on the television and Morgan tried to grab the remote from his hands.

"Um, excuse me! What's the rule about the t.v.? Only adults can control what goes on, remember?"

Morgan pouted. "That's Mommy's rule."

"It may be Mommy's rule, but you know as well as I do that what Mommy says goes in this house too. Now c'mere. We'll pick something fun together."

Morgan climbed onto his lap, apparently satisfied with that answer. She made faces as he flipped through the channels, letting her expressions tell him whether to stop or keep going, and he laughed.

Natasha smiled from where she was curled up against the end of the couch and Tony winked at her, patting the space next to him with his hand.

"Um… I don't know…"

"C'mere," he insisted.

She slowly leaned closer to him, pulling her knees up. "Do I smell like….?"

He shook his head. "No, sweetheart. You smell fine," he promised, wrapping an arm around her.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"What do I smell like?" Morgan said with a giggle.

He leaned close to her head, loudly sniffing her hair. "You smell like you're about to get attacked by the tickle monster!" He said, jabbing her waist playfully and she laughed wildly as she squirmed in his lap.

His phone beeped and he stopped teasing her long enough to fish it out of his pocket. "I have to step out for a minute," He said, frowning as he read the text. He looked up at Natasha. "Can you watch her for a minute?"

Her eyes widened in alarm, but she nodded. "Is everything okay?"

"Yup. I'll just be a minute," he promised, kissing both girls on the top of the head before he headed out into the hall.

Morgan slumped against her side, ignoring the empty spot where her father had just been and settling under her arm and Natasha smiled softly.

"Can we watch something else?" she asked quietly.

"Sure," Natasha said. "What do you want?"

"I can't press the button. You have to do it," Morgan reminded her.

"Well, you can still help me choose," she pointed out, gazing down at her fondly.

"Hmmm…" she tapped her finger against her mouth as she thought for a moment. "Do you think there's any cartoons?"

"I'm sure there are," Natasha assured her.

"Okay. Something with animals. And science. And comedy," she added.

Natasha grinned as she flipped through the channels. "Something funny with animals and science, got it." She stopped on an animated show. "How about this one? This is one of Uncle Clint's favorites," she told the girl.

Morgan nodded happily.

"Auntie Nat? Can I ask you a question?"

Natasha turned her eyes away from the t.v. to meet the girl's wide, thoughtful brown eyes that were so like her father's. "Sure, baby girl. What's on your mind?"

Morgan leaned closer to her, as if she didn't want anyone else to hear even though there was no one else around. "Do you love my Daddy?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

She paused for a moment, deciding on how to answer the girl's question, while Morgan looked back at her expectantly with another expression that was just like her father's.

"I love your Daddy very much," she said softly.

Morgan nodded. "I know," she whispered. "That's why I told him you should stay."

XXXXX

"What's this about?" Tony said, sliding into a seat in the conference room where Steve, Bruce, Rhodey, and Stephen Strange were already sitting. "Better make this fast. I got a redhead and a brunette waiting on the couch for me in my room."

"Strange and I were reviewing a couple of things," Bruce started.

"And you're right," Stephen cut in. "Your body has had an unnatural reaction to Natasha ever since she entered your bedside in the medical bay after she woke up."

Tony's eyes darted between them. "The increased heartrate? The tingling sensation? You know what it is?"

"You're connected, almost like an electromagnet on the inside that draws you together," Strange said gravely. "It's a mystical connection, stemming from the other place you were, so you won't find it on any scans. Natasha must feel it too."

He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly feeling dry. "And?"

"And whatever power lies inside her, it has the potential to have an extremely negative effect on you, Tony," Bruce said, unable to meet his eyes.

"With prolonged contact, your heartrate will increase," Strange continued. "Your blood pressure will rise, your skin will get hot. And you could wind up having a heart attack of mystic proportions."

"So what do we do?"

Bruce opened his mouth, then closed it, clearly at a loss for words.

"Come on, this mystical bullshit is your specialty, isn't it?!" He shouted.

"Easy, Tony," Rhodey said gently, making a move to reach for him, but he shrugged his shoulder away.

"We'll figure it out as a team," Steve said softly.

"Yeah," Tony said, moving his hand over his mouth. "Yeah, I'll get to work right away. Let me know what you guys find out. We'll compare notes."

"Okay," Bruce agreed. "Just… be careful."

"Right." He started to stand, then paused for a moment. "Don't say anything to her. Not until I figure out how I want to tell her."

The others nodded in silent agreement.

XXXXX

He peered into the living area of his quarters for a minute before he entered, taking in the sight of his daughter and Natasha whispering and laughing together on the couch before he made his presence known.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Natasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded. "Always."

"We saved you a seat, Daddy," Morgan said with a wide smile, sliding away from Natasha and patting the space in between them.

"You did? Look at that, it's my favorite spot," he said, plopping back down in the middle. Morgan climbed back on top of him and he wrapped an arm around Natasha's waist, not even waiting for her to lean in before he pulled her against him, but she relaxed easily.

The girl started chattering away about the program they'd decided on and he smiled softly, his face flushed as he sat with Morgan on his lap and Natasha curled comfortably into his side.


	7. Chapter 7

6."No! I just want you, Tony! I just want to be with you!"

The pull was strong, but for the moment he was stronger, his hand clasped firmly around her wrist as she was lifted and he could do it, he would do it. He would find a way to keep her here if it meant an eternity spent without that look of terror on her face.

"It's okay. I have you, darling, I have you," he told her reassuringly as he tugged her forward.

"Hold on tight," she said, her eyes teary as she fought against the pull.

"I am," he promised. "I'm holding on tight to you, Nat."

"You won't let go?"

"I won't let go, darling. I'll never let go."

"Don't let go!"

This place, the sun, the white light shining around her face, the warmth spreading through his veins stemming from the place their hands connected, the feelings that threatened to consume them both stemming from another time, another place that now seemed like so long ago, every sensation washing over him as he held on with all his might while another power that neither one of them understood attempted to take her away from him and he would not. He would not lose her again.

Her eyes connected with his and she smiled softly and he smiled back, his face flushing as his skin overheated with the effort to keep her here.

Then, her eyes closed, her skin turned cold, her expression blank as the last pull, the one he didn't feel coming managed to take her in a spiral of orange sparks.

The white, warm light of the sun turned to a cold, gray mist that faded to black. And just like that, she was gone.

XXXXX

"Tony!"

Her voice shouted his name and he shook himself back to reality, his gaze focusing on hers.

"Where were you just now?" She asked, an uncertain sympathetic smile on her face.

"I was back there…."

Here smile turned into a frown. "Tony. Now you're having these dreams during the day?"

Some of the fuzziness dissipated and he realized he was still on his couch, the t.v. still on in the background, Natasha still sitting next to him in her lounge clothes with her feet tucked up under her, her hands firmly gripping his shoulders.

"It's like they're trying to tell me something important," he said, trying to catch his breath.

"Like what?"

"Like I really, really need a hug from my favorite redhead right now," he murmured, pulling her close.

She leaned into his embrace, her arms encircling him tightly as she buried her face in his chest. "You know, that line is only going to work for so long," she said softly. "I'm the only redhead you know right now."

He managed a small smile, his eyes closed, cheek pressed against her forehead.

After a few minutes had gone by she started to straighten herself, but he kept his hold on her.

"Mmmm-mmmm," he said. "Stay for a minute. I just want to hold you for as long as I can."

"Okay," she whispered, reaching her hand up to touch his face."But you know that's as long as you want, right?"

"Do you ever think about our last moments in that place?"

"I've spent every second that I've been with Sophie and most seconds in between since we've been back trying hard not to," she said quietly. "Why? What aren't you telling me, Tony?"

He shook his head and she lifted her chin up, her face tilted slightly as she gazed at him expectantly.

"Tony?"

"Okay, you either learned that move from Morgan or Stevie and either way, it's not fair. Just add to the list of people I don't want to let down."

"Stevie?" She wrinkled her nose. "Why is he 'Stevie' all of a sudden?"

Tony sighed. "Because he's certainly not Captain America anymore, and he's sure as hell not the Steve I knew."

"But he is, though."

"Well, I'm sorry. I'm just having a really hard time making that connection."

"So, it's easier for you to disconnect?"

"Damn it, Tasha!"

She slowly shrank back into the couch cushions. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you when you're clearly not ready to talk about this."

"No." He moved forward, trying to reach for her again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

She let him embrace her again, wrapping her arms around his back and holding him close. "Why was it so much easier for you to talk about your feelings when you were dead than when you're alive?" She whispered.

"I don't know… I just….. I feel like I don't have control over anything anymore."

She slowly stroked her fingers through his hair. "You've been through a lot since we've been back. More than most people deal with in a lifetime."

He nodded.

"It's going to be okay, Tony," she said, pressing a soft kiss to his temple.

He raised his head, meeting her gaze for a moment before he placed a lingering kiss on her cheek.

She closed her eyes, her lips landing on his nose and he kissed her eyelids, his hands sliding down her arms and he shifted his position, kissing her nose, her cheek, her chin and then closing his lips over hers.

She kissed him back, raising her hands to his face and he wrapped on arm around her waist, drawing her into him while the other arm moved so he could tilt her chin with his hand.

"Mmmmmmmmmmm," she sighed softly as he deepened the kiss, eagerly opening her mouth against his so he could slip his tongue past her lips and slide it over hers.

He pulled her against him, hands tangled in her hair and she made soft sounds as he kissed her deeply.

"Tony," she breathed.

"Hmmmmmm," he hummed gently into her mouth, his hand sliding between her t-shirt and the waistband of her jeans.

"Tony, your heart is beating really fast," she whispered, holding one hand against his chest.

"Well, then we better figure out how to get your heart racing too," he whispered back, pressing his lips against her cheek. "Here?"

He trailed a few kisses along her cheekbone and she moaned softly as he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. "What about here?" He murmured as he felt her shiver.

She closed her eyes and he gently brushed her hair away from her shoulder with his fingers. "Maybe right…. here," he whispered, lowering his head to kiss her neck.

"Tony," she whispered as he started to suck. "Wait… Morgan's right there in your room."

"She's asleep. She won't wake up until the morning," he promised, not letting up on his delicious assault.

"You don't know that for sure," she said in a half-whine, half-moan.

"We could just go to your room," he said, fingers still tugging on the blond parts of her hair and lips still pressed against her neck. "Or I'll stop if you want me to stop."

She shook her head, green eyes wide as her gaze locked silently on his. She rose slowly from the couch, holding her hand out as she turned to face him and he eagerly placed his hand in hers, their eyes never wavering from each other as he stood.

She led him to her room, their fingers laced together and she gave his hand a light squeeze as she tugged him through the door, nudging it closed behind them with her elbow before she finally took her hand back.

"Do you want something to drink?" She asked over her shoulder, heading for the mini fridge in the corner.

He didn't answer, wrapping his strong arms around her from behind and leaning his head down to kiss along the side of her neck and she closed her eyes, tilting her head all the way to the side to give better access to his hungry mouth.

She turned into him, her lips meeting his in a desperate kiss as she let him consume her senses and then she was backing him up into her bedroom.

He let her take the lead as they sat on her bed, still kissing, deciding he would only let this go as far as she was comfortable with as the pounding of his heart reached his own ears.

"Tony," she murmured, her mouth finding his neck and he ducked his head to nibble on her soft sensitive flesh again while she nibbled on his.

He pulled her into his lap, moving his hand to the back of her head and tilting her chin back so he could press his mouth to hers again and then he was slowly reclining in a passion filled haze, his back pressed to her mattress while the one thing in life he'd always wanted but never quite managed to have ended up on top of him, straddling his stomach with her thighs and kissing him heatedly.

"What do you want?" He whispered huskily in between kisses.

"You. Everywhere," she whispered back with her lips still pressed to his skin.

He slipped his hands under her shirt, savoring the feeling of the softness of her bare skin under his fingers and he smiled against her lips as he felt her shiver.

Then she was pushing her hands under his clothes and he almost forgot to breathe, his heart pounding wildly as he pulled his shirt off so she could get her hands on him quicker.

She moved her mouth down his neck, nibbling his collar bone and kissing his chest where the scar from his arc reactor was and his breath caught in his throat with the notion that he'd never, ever let anyone touch him there, not even Pepper, although it never occurred to him to ask her to stop.

"Tony," she said firmly, bringing him out of his lustful stupor as her hands slid over his stomach. "Your skin is burning up."

"Damn it." He sighed, slowly sitting up and catching her wrists in his hands. "I gotta stop a second."

"Okay," she said softly, sliding back on her thighs, her knees still straddling his waist, teeth worrying at her lower lip.

"It's okay," he whispered. "Just a side effect from that place. I'm working with Strange and Bruce to figure it out."

"What do you mean a 'side effect?'" She asked, raising an eyebrow in concern. "Did you just have a dream again?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that. Believe me, I am fully present in this moment," he assured her.

She eyed him carefully, waiting for him to continue.

"Darling, there's a connection between us. I know you must feel it too," he said gently, his hand reaching out to caress her face.

She nodded, leaning into his touch.

"Strange described it as an electromagnet, but there's no tangible evidence to prove that."

She thought for a moment. "Like the electricity between us whenever we touch?"

"Exactly that."

"It's what woke you up. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Of course it's a good thing," he said, kissing her hand. "But there's other stuff that's not so good."

"Like how you feel you have no control over anything. And I feel like a part of me is missing."

He nodded. "But I don't want you to feel like that anymore. So whatever it is, I'm going to fix it, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered.

"Bruce has my scans, but maybe we could go down to my lab? I'll just take a small blood sample, maybe some saliva so we can see what's going on inside you."

She nodded, swallowing hard as she followed him to the elevator.

She was quiet as he flicked on the lights in his workshop, not even saying a word when she let him stick her with a needle and swab her mouth.

"I didn't feel like that just now," she said quietly when she did speak.

"Like what?" He asked, looking up from securing her fluids.

"Like a part of me was missing."

"Oh," he said with a soft smile, his cheeks flushing slightly. "That's really good."

"Tony."

"Hmmmmm?"

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

He nodded, the smile unwavering from his face. "Of course, sweetheart. I'm always okay."


	8. Chapter 8

"You're not going to solve a mystical puzzle by turning your girlfriend into a lab rat, Stark."

He stood from where he'd been leaning over a microscope with Bruce, his shoulders tensing. "Who the hell let you into my workshop, Strange? This is private property," he warned with a barely a glance over his shoulder.

Strange nodded over to where Rhodey was standing against the door with his arms crossed.

"Traitor," he muttered.

"If we don't figure this thing out soon, I'm going to have to pick your sorry ass up off the floor again," Rhodey called defensively. "You been in here all night?"

"There's got to be something I'm missing here," Tony insisted.

"He's right," Bruce said with a sigh, pushing the microscope away with his oversized green knuckles. "There's nothing in these slides that's going to tell us anything."

"Yeah, what are you going to do?" Tony asked, nodding curtly to Strange. "Meditate over it?"

Stephen smirked. "Is he always this funny when he's bruised?"

"We're scientists, Stephen," Bruce explained calmly, placing a big steadying hand on Tony's shoulder. "All this magic and sorcery is a little difficult for us to grasp. Now are you going to help us out here, or what?"

"I'll help you when you're ready to listen to me," Strange said evenly, walking over to the table and peering into the microscope.

Rhodey glanced at Tony, raising a questioning eyebrow and Tony nodded with a deep, dramatic sigh.

"Great," Rhodey said. "When do we start?"

"Let me compare your samples to hers," Stephen started, already making himself comfortable over the table.

Tony plopped down in a stool next to him, opening up a book of notes that he and Bruce had been keeping.

"So. Are you afraid that after we fix this and remove the mystic connection that she won't really like you anymore?"

Tony sat rigidly at his workstation, gritting his teeth.

"Oh, no. There's two of them," Rhodey said with a groan. "This is such a bad idea."

Bruce smiled an amused smile.

Strange sighed when Tony didn't say anything for a full twenty minutes. "I was kidding," he said, his voice a little softer. "No amount of mystical forces can fully fabricate a lady's affection for you, Stark. Why don't you go upstairs and get some rest? Banner and I can handle it for a few hours."

"You'll be no good to them if you're exhausted," Rhodey added.

He conceded, rising up from his stool.

"We'll call you when we're on to something," Bruce promised.

XXXXX

"No! I don't want to go!"

Tony craned his neck, trying to keep his face from the flying hands of a flailing, shrieking Morgan. He tightened his hold on her, bouncing her gently in his arms.

Her head lolled into his chest as she sobbed. "I don't want to go! Please don't make me go! I want to stay here with you, Daddy!" she whined, shoulders heaving.

"I know, baby. I know," he murmured softly into her hair. "But Mommy misses you. Don't you miss Mommy?"

She nodded silently, crying harder as she fastened her little arms around his neck. "It's not fair."

"Life's not fair, Morgoona."

"I'm staying. I'm staying!" she shrieked.

"No, sweetie. You're going home to Mommy and you're going to have so much fun with Mommy and Happy and then you'll get to come back here in two weeks, okay?" He said gently.

"But Mommy misses you too."

"Well, then you'll both see me when I come home tonight to tuck you in," he murmured, pushing her hair back with his hand.

She sniffled. "You're coming back?"

"Of course, baby. Daddy comes to tuck you in every night, you know that. Now come on. Give Daddy a kiss and I'll walk you outside. Mommy and Happy are waiting."

She gave him a wet, noisy kiss on his cheek, still crying. "I love you so so much, Daddy."

"I love you too, pumpkin," Tony said, brushing the tears from her face with this thumb. "So so much. You have no idea how much."

"Three- thousand?" She asked after another sniffle as he opened the door.

"More than three-thousand," he promised, carrying her out to the car.

He pressed his back against the door when he came back inside, pulling out his glasses and pushing them up on his nose, holding his breath until he heard the car pull away.

"I'd ask if you're okay, but I already know what you're going to say."

"Yup," he said.

She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and his expression softened, although he kept his glasses on. "You'll figure it out," she said softly. "You, Pepper, and Morgan. You'll all figure it out."

He shrugged. "In two weeks, she'll be doing the same thing to Pepper, complaining that she doesn't want to come over here."

Natasha smiled. "I doubt it. Daddy's house is the one that has the Avengers and all their kids coming and going."

XXXXX

"Do you want to get out of here?" Tony asked suddenly, glancing up from where he was sitting at the table in the common room.

"Yeah," Natasha said, her eyes shining as her face brightened. "Where do you want to go?"

"Actually, I'd like to take you out tonight," he said, his expression soft. "Just the two of us."

"Do you mean, like, on a date?" She asked.

"Very much on a date," He replied, reaching across the table for her hand. "What do you say? Will you go out with me, Natasha?"

She smiled wide, her cheeks taking on a pinkish tint that matched his perpetual flush. "I'd love to go out with you tonight, Tony."


	9. Chapter 9

She was able to squeeze in another shower before the time Tony said to be ready and once she'd convinced herself that she'd scrubbed away the uneasiness, she selected a long form-fitting sweater and black sparkly leggings to go with her mid-calf boots. After taking a curling iron to her hair to make a few loose curls and zipping up her favorite jacket, she was ready for anything. At least on the outside.

On the inside, she knew that this was the first date she'd been on in many years, since way before the snap and even since before she'd become a part of the Avengers. It had been even longer since she'd been out with a guy that she even remotely cared about, but this was different. This was him.

She spritzed a few drops of perfume behind her ears and on her wrists and ran her freshly painted fingernails through her hair a couple of times, trying to quell the slight feeling of nausea that had just started up in the pit of her stomach.

By the time he was knocking on her door, she'd forgotten the sick feeling and she smiled brightly as she greeted him.

"Hi," he said, his eyes shining behind blue tinted glasses, a rosy glow spreading across his cheeks as he took her hand. "You look great," he added, lightly kissing the back of her hand.

"You look….. gorgeous," she replied, her eyes widening at her involuntary choice of words as she took in his tailored slacks, tight fitting crew neck shirt that left almost nothing to the imagination if recent memory served her correctly, and custom sport jacket.

He smiled good-naturedly, his teeth showing and dimples making what had come to be a rare honest appearance since they'd been back. "I hope you don't mind, but I've already picked the location and arranged transportation for the evening," he told her.

She nodded, unable to keep the smile off her face at his excitement. "Great. What did you have in mind?"

"You'll see." He winked before offering her his arm. "My lady?"

She hesitated for a moment, an unspoken question on her lips and he stopped, gazing at her in concern.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Nothing, it's just…. do I smell like….?"

"Like death?" He asked bluntly, leaning in close to her. "No, my dear. You smell absolutely perfect. Just like you always do. Sweet, and smart, and brave, and dangerous and oh so sexy. Maybe a little hint of your shampoo, what is that, ginger?"

She locked her eyes on his, unable to speak.

"So, the plan is to leave all that heavy stuff behind. Lock it away, and don't think about it for a few hours. Just you and me tonight, darling. You in?" He held out his arm again.

She nodded. "I'm in."

She eagerly slipped her arm through his, letting him lead her to the elevator and mentally wondering which of his classic cars he'd chosen for their outing, but to her surprise there was no car idling in front of the tower. She gazed at him with a question in her eyes, but he lightly tugged her around the corner to the back of the facility and her mouth opened slightly.

"A plane? We need a plane to get there? Tony, where exactly are we going?"

XXXXX

There was a reason this place was called the City of Lights. A million shards of magic welcomed them as they stepped up the cobble stoned path to the main district, darting out of lampposts on street corners, shining through windows in impossibly tall buildings, reverberating off of stained glass, twinkling in the sky, and reflecting in his tinted lenses.

"Paris? You took me to Paris?" She asked incredulously, her mouth open as she gazed out in wide-eyed wonder at their surroundings.

He shrugged. "I was planning to come here on vacation, but then, you know, aliens happened and I got sidetracked. Wanted to come back."

"Yeah. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever been here when I wasn't on assignment," she said thoughtfully, unable to take her eyes away from their atmosphere, yet still unsure as to where to look first.

"It's too much, right?" He said, watching her. "Too over the top?"

She shook her head, finally turning her attention back to him. "Not too much," she said softly. "Just enough."

He smiled, pushing his glasses on top of his head. "Plus this is where I always imagined I'd take you if I ever got you to go out with me, back then. I figured I'd do the whole billionaire flying a girl to this little romantic café in France cliché. Try to impress you and everything."

She grinned, squeezing his hand. "It worked. I'm impressed."

He leaned his head to the right, tugging her in the direction. "So, what do you want to do first? Do you like museums?"

XXXXX

She could fall in love with him, she thought as she watched him standing in the middle of an Etruscan exhibit at the Louvre, still holding her hand even though he was totally entranced in this ancient war painting.

Every piece of history they came across in the oldest museum known to man was mesmerizing, yet what truly took her breath away was the honest reactions and charming expressions of the man she'd come to know after years of peeling away layer after complicated layer until he was stripped down to the soft eyed, simple man, torn between gazing adoringly at her and gawking at this early depiction of war, which no doubt was reminding him of the battle they'd won and what they'd sacrificed to get there as it stood before him in red and gold brushstrokes.

She wasn't sure how long they'd been standing there, staring at this one painting, but finally, he placed a gentle hand on the small of her back and led her ahead to the next exhibit.

The heat from his skin radiated through her jacket and sweater, making her skin tingle in the shape of his palm, and there was no doubt in her mind that she could fall in love with him.

XXXXX

It was a few hours before they were sitting at a small, ornate table outside a quaint café, sipping coffee and nibbling on the desserts he'd ordered in perfect French, even though he'd admitted that he only had a vague idea of what he'd just asked for.

The stars were shining brighter than the place she'd thought of as the sun, and they could hear the faint music of a live band playing at a bar a few doors down on the strip.

Tony had been telling her amusing stories of his travels from when he was a kid and she'd told him some of the less frightening tales of her life when she was younger and for the first time since she'd been back, everything was in its place. Nothing was missing, nothing was overwhelming or daunting and she leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling softly when he wrapped a steady arm around her.

XXXXX

They were walking hand in hand down a street along the river when the sky opened up out of nowhere. Tony quickly ducked her under an awning, handing over a couple of bills to a street vendor before opening up the wide umbrella and holding it over both of them.

"I'm sorry, darling. An imperfect ending to an otherwise perfect evening."

She shook her head. "It's still perfect. I love the rain."

"You do?" He asked, surprise evident in his tone.

She nodded, her eyes shining happily as she pirhouetted away from under the umbrella and into the middle of the street. "The way it smells right before it happens, the way it feels on my face and how it cleanses everything…."

"Well, okay, then…." He said, discarding the umbrella by offering it to a teenage couple and hurrying to join her.

She laughed as he twirled her around the sidewalk, squealed when he picked her up by the waist and held her in the air for a moment before setting her down.

He stepped closer to her, raindrops glistening in his hair as he embraced her, holding her against the railing and it was so easy.

She leaned into him, sighing softly with her hands on his chest as he pressed his lips to hers under the moonlight, kissing her in the rain as they looked out over the Seine and she thought about how easy it was to fall in love with him.

XXXXX

It was late by the time they arrived back at the tower, not quite night but early enough in the first hours of the morning that she knew whoever was at the tower would still be sleeping.

"Do you want to come inside?" She asked after he placed a soft kiss on her cheek outside her bedroom door.

He nodded, clearly not ready to let the night end and she smiled invitingly while she stepped aside to let him enter her personal space.

"Tonight was amazing. Thank you," she said softly, gazing up at him.

"Now I'll have to come up with something even better if you ever agree to go out with me again," he said, lightly stroking his goatee.

She grinned. "I'll go out with you again."

He smiled warmly.

"Make yourself comfortable," she offered, gesturing to her small sofa. "I'll just get some snacks. "

She walked over to the kitchenette off to the side, bending into the mini fridge to pull out a couple of drinks and rummaging around in a cupboard for some light refreshments.

Suddenly, she could pinpoint the moment where the Paris glow faded and the reality flooded her senses with an unpleasant sensation and she held a hand up to her head. The nauseous feeling that she'd felt earlier in the day came back too and she leaned against the counter.

"What is it?" Tony asked.

She hadn't even realized how fast he'd gotten to her side until he was frowning right next to her.

"Almost nothing, just maybe the beginnings of a migraine."

"Here, let me," he murmured, raising both his hands to gently massage her temples with his fingers. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, leaning into his touch as the familiar warming sensation sent tingles spreading underneath his fingertips. "Yeah, that actually….. I think…. I think the headache is gone."

"Really?" He asked doubtfully.

She was met with his concerned gaze when she opened her eyes and she tried to smile reassuringly. "Yeah." She shrugged. "I guess you have the magic touch."

He gasped out loud, his eyes widening with the dawn of realization as a haunted expression took over his face.


	10. Chapter 10

"You think you have magic healing powers ? I have to say, for someone who doesn't believe in magic….."

"I'm telling you, she had a headache and I touched her head and it was gone. A few days ago it was nausea. How do you explain that, Dumbledore?" Tony said with a meaningful glare in Strange's direction.

The sorcerer was quiet, clearly contemplating what Tony had just disclosed.

"He's right. Something's up," Bruce said, turning his computer monitor around. "Check out this security footage from the kitchen and the common room. She clearly doesn't feel well, he touches her and the next minute it's like nothing happened."

Strange walked around the console to the three dimensional interface. "May I?" He asked.

Tony nodded, moving right beside him and gesturing for Bruce to come over.

"You may not be entirely wrong, but you're not exactly right," Strange said, pulling up some images. "This is a full body scan of Ms. Romanoff. See the blue areas? That represents her energy."

"I thought you said we wouldn't be able to tell anything from the scans," Tony said, not unkindly.

"Not if you weren't willing to see," Strange replied, turning to look at him. He raised his arm, trailing his pointer finger across the image. "You'll notice the blue energy is incomplete. Broken in some areas, if you will."

Bruce looked from Tony to Strange, nodding his head to show that he was following.

"Whatever force is connecting you, the so called magnet, allows you to put a band-aid on the situation, so to speak."

"It means sense," Bruce said, mostly to Tony. "You were the only other person there. If something really did happen to her in that place, maybe you really are the only person who can fix it."

Tony stared at the screen, transfixed on the images that Strange had pointed out. "No wonder she feels like she left a part of her back there. She really did." He slowly turned back to his friends, eyes wide and desperate. "So, how do I fix it?"

"Wait a minute. We can't forget the effect it would have on you, Tony," Bruce said.

"He's right," Stephen said. "Whatever anomaly is inside her, it's still detrimental to your health. Or did you forget that?"

Tony shook his head. "I haven't forgotten."

"Then perhaps running away to a foreign country in a private jet with the one woman who could destroy you without telling anyone wasn't the greatest idea you've ever had, no?"

"How did you know that?" Tony asked. "I didn't tell anyone."

"Not the point, Stark," Strange said, holding up his phone.

Bruce took the phone from him, swiping through headlines and blurry photos and playing a video with a newscaster interviewing people claiming they'd seen Tony Stark alive in Paris with a red-haired woman.

Tony groaned, putting his hand over his face.

"I'm surprised no one else is questioning you about this. Or complaining about how it's going to affect the Avengers. But seriously, what were you thinking, man?" Bruce said.

Just then, Strange shushed them, holding up a firm hand. "These are projections of what the near future could hold," he said, pointing to the bottom area of the screen. "The longer she's here, the more she'll deteriorate."

"Then we better figure out fast how to treat her," Bruce said seriously.

"How long have we been down here?" Tony asked.

"About an hour," Bruce answered. "Why?"

Tony was already jogging up the stairs. "Not a word to Natasha until we figure this out. I don't want to alarm her," he said breathlessly over his shoulder as they followed him. "Telling Barton is the same as telling Nat."

XXXXX

"Nat!" Tony called, running down the hallway between their living quarters. "Where are you?"

He raced back to the elevator when she didn't answer, still calling her name when he got to the main floor.

"Hey, have you seen Nat?" He heard Bruce asking some of the younger Avengers on the other side of the room.

Rhodey eyed him with a concerned expression on his face, silently falling into step beside him.

"FRIDAY," Tony called sharply. "Where's Natasha?"

"Ms. Romanoff is not currently on the property, Boss," FRIDAY answered. "She left the tower over an hour ago with Mr. Barton."

"Shit," he muttered, grabbing his phone out of his pocket and pressing her contact information. He typed out a quick text and hit send before looking up at Bruce and Rhodey, his eyes panicked.

XXXXX

"I've been getting soft since I've been back," Natasha said. "Not anymore. Gotta keep up the training if I want to take my class back from Rhodey."

Clint groaned as his back hit the mat. "Who says you're getting soft? Seems like the same old you to me."

She grinned as she reached out a hand to help him up. "Just because I can still wipe the floor with your ass doesn't mean I'm at my best."

He took a long swig from his water bottle before lunging for her again. "Are you really planning on going back once they finish rebuilding the compound?"

"Well, not back to active duty. But I do want to get back to training. I miss it. The way things used to be."

He couldn't keep a smile from his face, despite the knee she'd just landed in his stomach. "I think that's a great idea, Nat."

Natasha let him get a few good kicks in before she retaliated, effectively pinning him to the mat one last time before he announced that he was done. "Cool down on the treadmill?" She asked, raising her bottle to her lips.

He nodded, stretching his legs for a moment before programming their standard workout.

Just then, both their heads snapped up to attention when they heard footsteps approaching the door. She sighed inwardly. Part of the reason why they'd chosen this gym was because they knew they'd be the only ones working out at this hour.

Her face softened when she saw Tony and Rhodey stride in, dressed in sweatpants and t-shirts.

"What, is he stalking you?" Clint muttered under his breath.

"You guys want to make this a team session?" Tony asked once they'd approached, a bright smile on his face.

"Sure," Natasha said invitingly.

"Maybe not the treadmill," Rhodey said, gazing pointedly at Tony.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"He's right," Natasha said. "We can do anything that's going to increase your heart rate too much."

"Yes, dear," he said to no one in particular.

"I wouldn't mind battling Rhodey for my class, though," she teased.

"You're on." Rhodey came up to her, taking a battle stance.

"Guess that means I get Barton," Tony said.

"I already warmed him up for you," she said with a grin. She turned her attention back to Rhodey, looking him up and down and clearly wondering if she should go easy on him or not.

"Just do however you would normally do," he told her, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

She nodded, taking the offense while he jumped to a defensive stance. She pulled her hands up to her face as she rushed towards him, then stopped mid-charge.

"You okay?" Rhodey asked with a frown, bending down slightly to her level.

"Yeah," she said. "Just lost my balance for a moment."

Tony rushed over, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Here," he said, handing her his water bottle. He kept his grip on her while she took a gulp.

"I'm fine," she told him, looking in his eyes.

"I think we're done here," Rhodey said cautiously. "We'd better head back."

"Yeah," she agreed, trying to ignore Clint's side-eyed glance.

XXXXX

"Why don't you come with me to tuck Morgan in tonight?" Tony asked.

Natasha shook her head. "I don't know, Tony."

"Why not? It's my house! You've been to my house before."

"Not since you moved out."

"So what? You're still welcome there. It'll be fine."

"I don't know…." she repeated. "Maybe I should just stay here."

"It's not like Pepper's going to throw you out or anything. It's fine," he insisted.

"Tony…"

"Look, I don't feel comfortable leaving you here, alright? What if you need me?"

"You're not leaving forever! You'll be back in like, what, an hour?"

"Tony, please…"

"You can wait in the car if you want. I don't care. Just come with me," he said pleadingly.

"I'm not ready, Tony," she said quietly.

He sighed. "Alright. I'll be back pretty quick."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "It'll be okay," she said softly, reaching to hug him.

"I hope so," he murmured, pressing his lips into her hair.


	11. Chapter 11

"I understand that the Avengers are rebuilding the compound, but you can't just make a withdrawal that size without drawing some attention, Tony."

He frowned, looking at Pepper over the divider between the kitchen and the living room. "Then you make a withdrawal that size. Tell them it's for a donation, or something."

"Oh, yeah? And what is this donation for?" Pepper said, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged.

"And if you were going to run away to France the least you could've done is at least try to hide your face."

"Oh, you saw that, huh?"

"A lot of people saw that, Tony."

He was quiet, gazing down at his hands.

"Look, I don't care what you do. Lay low and live your life in peace and quiet, or announce to the world that Tony Stark is alive and well. We'll support you, no matter what. But you've got to make a decision either way," Pepper said quietly.

He nodded without looking at her.

XXXXX

Natasha made her way to the main floor, her movements frantic.

"Hey," a voice said from the common room. "What's going on?"

Her eyes focused on Clint and she blinked a couple of times. "Have you seen Tony?"

He shrugged. "It's nine o'clock. He's probably tucking his daughter in."

"It's nine twenty-one," Natasha said.

"So?"

"So, he's always back by nine fifteen," she said, bracing her hands on the counter.

"Maybe he got held up with something at the cabin. I'm sure he's fine. He'll be back soon." Clint's eyes looked her up and down. "Are you okay? You look kind of pale."

She shook her head. "I'm fine. I just need Tony."

"Okay." He slowly moved closer to her. "I was just heading out to get back to the farm, but why don't I stay for a bit? I'll wait with you until he gets back," Clint said cautiously.

"I need him now," she said, her voice rising.

"Tasha. What's going on? You want me to call Sophie with you? Or we could just sit and talk. Just you and me. Like we used to." He stepped carefully until he was right beside her, reaching for her hand.

"No, I just want Tony!" She shouted.

By now, she had caught the attention of some other Avengers and Bruce was standing in the doorway, his eyes silently locked on Clint's.

"Alright," Rhodey said, reaching for his phone. "Let's call him."

"Geez, Tash," Clint said. "Calm down. I'm sure everything's okay."

"You don't understand," she said, wrapping her arms tightly around herself.

"Then make me," he replied. "Talk to me, Tasha."

"I said no! I want Tony!" She shouted again, jerking away from him. "I just want Tony!"

Just then the elevator opened and everyone froze.

Natasha turned around, running full force towards the sliding doors. "Tony!"

"What is this?" He said, quickly taking in the grave expressions on everyone's faces. "What's happening?"

She threw her arms tightly around him, burying her face in his chest. "I just want you," she murmured.

He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her into him. "I'm right here, sweetheart," he said into her hair.

"Tony, your heart," Bruce said in a warning tone.

"What?" Natasha asked, pulling her face back long enough to look up at him.

"Sshhhhh," he said, cupping her face with one hand. "It's okay."

"What the hell?" Clint asked with a slight hint of irritation in his voice.

Natasha held firm to her embrace, her arms locked around his waist and he gently stroked her hair, his breathing picking up and his cheeks flushing a bright pink.

"Tony!" Rhodey said, moving forward at the same time Bruce reached for him.

"Nobody move!" Tony shouted, taking a few steps back. He kept one arm around Natasha's heaving frame while the other raised, pulling a nanotech shield from his bracelet and holding it over them. "Everyone just stay back. I got it."

"What's going on?" Natasha asked softly, eyes widening as she looked up at him.

"You're killing him," Strange said from the hallway.

Tony glared at him.

"W-what? What do you mean?" She demanded, pulling away slightly. "What is he talking about?"

"Something happened to the two of you on that other plane," Strange started to explain. "Whatever this connection is between you, it has the opposite effect on each of you. You need his touch, more specifically his heat to sustain your deteriorating condition. That's why you're so attracted to him. But prolonged contact with your skin will cause a massive heart attack."

Natasha looked at Tony, her eyes wide with horror. "No," she whispered.

"Holy shit," Clint said, his mouth open.

"We're working on it," Bruce added. "But Stephen's right."

She shook her head, covering her mouth with her hands.

"I'm going to fix this," Tony said, reaching for her.

"Don't!" She said pleadingly. "I-I can't…." She cut off abruptly as her legs gave out underneath her.

Tony lunged forward, catching her as her body slumped against him. "Tasha!" He lifted her into the air, clutching her close. "Tasha, baby, can you hear me?"

"Is she breathing?" Clint asked, panic seeping into his tone.

Tony nodded, gazing at Strange. "Medical bay?"

"Yeah. Quickly," he said. He started to lead the way and Tony followed, carrying her gently while the others filed after them.

XXXXX

Tony stood at his console, ignoring the blood pressure monitor squeezing his left arm while he pulled up the 3-D images that Strange had shown them just the day before.

"We'll have to find a way to drain the mystical force inside the both of you and contain it somehow," Strange was saying. "Then restore her natural energy."

"How do we do that?" Bruce asked.

"I don't know," Strange said. "And we're no closer to an answer than we were yesterday."

Bruce unhooked the blood pressure monitor from Tony's arm. "Well, your blood pressure is back to normal for the moment. How are you holding up?"

Tony grunted without taking his attention away from the console.

"Stark," Clint said, slightly out of breath from running down the hall in a perpetual state of panic. "Come quick. She's spiking again."


	12. Chapter 12

Tony burst through the doors to the medical bay with Clint on his heels. He found Natasha laying in the center of the bed, curling in on herself.

He knelt down slowly until he was eye level with her, reaching out a hand to gently stroke her arm. "Hi, sweetheart," he said softly.

She picked her head up when she saw him, her eyes softening in acknowledgement as she shivered. "Tony," she rasped, moving a hand to lightly touch his face.

"I'm right here, darling," he murmured. "What's happening?"

"I'm so c-cold," she said as he raised himself up to slide into the bed next to her.

"I know, baby," he replied. "I'm going to warm you up."

Bruce looked at Rhodey and the colonel nodded his head, then they proceeded to door, patting Clint lightly on the back before heading out.

Tony rolled onto his back, pulling Natasha against him and tucking her into his body before re-adjusting the blankets so they were fully covering her.

"No," she started to protest, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't want to hurt you."

"It's okay," he whispered as he pressed a kiss into her temple. "I won't let it get to that point."

She nodded slowly, still shivering.

"Just relax," he told her, one hand sliding up her arm while the other stroked her hair. "Your body knows what to do to take what it needs from me, even if we don't understand it."

She moved to find a comfortable position, settling into him.

"Stark," Clint said.

"I'm not going anywhere," Tony said firmly without looking at him as he wrapped her up in his chest.

"I know," Clint said softly. "That's why we worked out a schedule to keep an eye on you both. I have first watch."

Tony looked up at him, his expression softening. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"Fifteen minutes on, fifteen minutes off," Clint replied. "Unless you need a breather before the fifteen minutes is up. The only way to keep everyone off your back is if you don't compromise yourself in the process, so maybe play by the rules for once, huh?"

He nodded gratefully, tightening his grip on Natasha and rocking her slowly as her eyelids started to flutter.

"I appreciate that," he said.

"I appreciate you taking care of my best friend."

Tony eased his grip on her as he felt her start to drift off, keeping his body against hers.

"Should we let her fall asleep?" Clint asked with a frown.

"I don't see why not," Tony replied, his attention still on Natasha. He was still stroking her hair and caressing her face when he felt, more than heard Clint come closer.

"She was nineteen when I found her on your doorstep, locking and unlocking the safety on her Glock while she was trying to decide whether or not to follow through on her orders to kill you."

Tony finally looked up at him.

"Pretty good at keeping her composure, even back then, but I saw it. That one flicker of uncertainty that I recognized because I'd seen it in myself before."

He tilted his head to the side, eyes locked on Clint even though he wasn't looking at him while he talked.

"I had nothing back then. No family, no friends, no life, no sense of self-worth or purpose, and no way to open up. Until her. Just the two of us, on our own for years." He shrugged. "Of course, things eventually fell into place."

The corner of his mouth tugged up into a slight half-smile while he waited for Clint to continue.

"She's a good girl, Stark," he said softly, his gaze meeting Tony's.

"I know that."

"What she did… the choice she made on top of that cliff. I get it. But she didn't deserve to die for it. Neither did you. So please… do you think you could hurry it up and figure this shit out?"

"I'm trying," Tony said.

XXXXX

He was barely asleep in a chair next to Natasha's bed when he heard her move. He reached out his hand and placed it on top of hers where she was reaching for him, lacing his fingers through hers.

He wasn't sure when Rhodey had switched out with Clint, but he was grateful to be sitting in companionable silence.

Bruce had come in from the lab a couple of times to take his blood pressure and temperature and had given an update that they were almost close to figuring out a way to contain the unnatural energy, but mostly they were still right where they started.

He heard a knock at the door and he picked his head up long enough to watch Rhodey cross the room to answer it.

"Steve!" Rhodey exclaimed in a tone of pleasant surprise.

Steve rolled into the room in his wheelchair and Tony started to stand up to greet him, but Steve held out a hand and brushed him off.

"Don't get up on account of me," he said. He turned to Rhodey. "Why don't you take five? I got it from here for awhile."

Rhodey quickly masked his doubtful expression. "Are you sure? It's my shift. We could always double up."

Steve gave him a look that clearly said he was sure.

"Yes, sir," Rhodey said with a nod.

Natasha stirred and Steve rolled over to her, taking her hand. "Steve," she said with a smile.

"How are you doing, Nat?" He asked, his voice gentle and his eyes friendly despite the grave situation.

"I've been better," she admitted.

Tony moved the few steps it took until he was sitting on the bed again. He reached out a hand to her forehead, his eyes searching hers for a moment before he reclined next to her, adjusting himself under the covers and she gratefully leaned her head against his shoulder, propping herself up.

"Fifteen minutes. Is that how we're doing it?" Steve asked.

Tony nodded, his hand sliding down her arm.

"Is your heart beating too fast?" She whispered while she watched Steve settle himself on the other side of the room.

"My heart is beating just fast enough," he murmured. He pulled his shirt up, lightly tugging her hand to his skin and she tensed in alarm.

"Sssh," he said, placing a finger over his lips. "It's okay."

She snuggled into his chest, her body pressed against his, hand resting comfortably on his stomach under the blanket, although she was pretty sure that Steve knew about it anyway, even if he didn't let on that he'd seen anything.

"He's here to make sure I don't kill you," she said softly.

Tony shook his head. "He's here to make sure I behave myself."

"That too." She smiled at him, a soft, intimate smile and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Why don't you get some rest? You can go back to sleep if you want to," he said.

"Sing me to sleep," she murmured.

"Hmmmmm?"

"Sing me to sleep," she repeated, lightly tracing around his fingers with hers.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine," he started.

She wrinkled her nose. "Anything but that."

He thought for a moment, his fingers adjusting her hair as she lay on his chest. "I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss… well a few of the verses, well they've got me quite cross. But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song. It's for people like you that keep it turned on."

She smiled into him.

"And you can tell everybody that this is your song. It may be quite simple but not that it's done… I hope you don't mind, I hope you mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is while you're in the world."

"You're dating yourself," she whispered. "I wasn't even born when that song came out."

"I wasn't either!" He said defensively.

She started to laugh, then paused to take a breath.

"Nat…"

"Keep singing," she said, her voice low.

He sang the song two more times before she fell back asleep.

"That's nice," Steve commented from where he was sitting by the window.

Tony looked up, almost forgetting that he was in the room.

"It's interesting to see the ways that being a father has changed you," he continued.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "That's a little weird, but okay."

"Is it? You're definitely more nurturing than ever before. And I don't just mean with her."

"Okay, Stevie. Whatever you say."

Steve slowly wheeled closer. "Tony. You let Bucky stay?"

He shrugged. "You have to let some things go, right?"

Steve smiled a tight-lipped smile, a look that Tony had seen many times before. "Why don't you just say what you want to say?"

"You had orders, Cap. You were supposed to put the goddamn stones where we got them from and come right back."

"There it is." Steve sighed. "I made a choice, albeit a selfish one. I lived the life I always wanted to have."

Tony looked up from where he'd been drawing patterns on Natasha's back with his fingernails. "Are you happy?"

"I am."

"Guess I can't fault you for that."

Steve looked at him meaningfully, his eyes clear and blue. "You told me to get a life, Tony. I lived it. When are you going to start living yours?"

Tony's breaths grew shorter and louder, his head drooping down to Natasha's.

Steve's eyes widened and he reached both hands out. "Tony, your heart…"

He slowly slid out from underneath her, careful not to disturb her in her gentle slumber. "Everyone's worried about my heart," he grumbled.

He straightened up, his hand gripping the bedrail for a moment. "You forget," he started, gulping in a breath. "That my heart survived a million little tiny pieces of metal trying to tear it apart."

Steve shook his head. "I didn't forget that, Stark. No one did."

He continued, without missing a beat. "My heart survived nearly being poisoned by the very device that was keeping it going. My heart survived major surgery trying to fix the problem."

He stood straight, moving into the center of the room. "My heart survived getting a divorce from the one person in the entire world who has every truly stood by my side, no matter what. You want to ask me about my heart right now?" He gestured wildly to the bed in the corner. "That's my heart, lying right there, Steve!"

"I'm well aware of that, Tony," Steve said gently. "I've known that for a long time."

"Yeah? Well I wish you would've told me, cause I sure as hell didn't!"

Steve blinked. "You weren't ready."

Tony shook his head. "You don't get it."

"What it's like to be pining away for the same girl for a lot of years? No, Stark. Please, tell me what it's like."

Tony covered his face with his hands. "I don't know what I'm doing here."

"So that means we're all supposed to lose the both of you, all over again?"

He spread his fingers apart, peeking out at Steve. "You know, your little motivational speeches have really taken a beating in your old age, Rogers."

Steve smiled. "Tony. You're the one that built that device to keep your heart going. You're the one who discovered an element to stop the poison. You're the one who invented a form of time travel to save the entire universe."

"'Kay, I guess that's a little better…."

He took Tony's hand in his. "I get it. You're no closer to an answer than you were before. You haven't slept in three days, and the fate of someone you care deeply for hangs in the balance. But come on, Stark. Isn't that when you do your best work?"


	13. Chapter 13

"We still don't know the depth of the energy we're dealing with here," Strange was saying. "We needed something that we know will be strong enough to contain it."

Tony sat in his chair with his arms folded across his chest, glancing at them expectantly.

Bruce's body language was nervous, his eyes averting Tony's gaze.

"What did you come up?" Steve prompted patiently.

Strange gave a grave nod and Bruce slowly pulled up the object he'd been hiding behind his back.

Tony froze in his seat, his shoulders tense as he took in a silent breath. He startled when he felt Rhodey's hand on firm on his shoulder.

"You might've given us a little more warning before bringing that thing in here," Rhodey said quietly.

Tony shook his head, his eyes still locked on the gauntlet as he rose from his perch, walking over to Bruce and deliberately tracing a finger over the metallic surface. "No, they're right," He said. "It contained the energy of the infinity stones, right? That's the strongest energy we know of."

He patted Bruce on the back. "Good work. How do we extract it?"

"That's the part we're still having trouble with," Strange said. He moved to take the gauntlet from Bruce.

Bruce nodded to Natasha once he'd left. "How is she?"

Tony sighed. "She sleeps, mostly."

"Are we still doing every fifteen minutes?"

"Sometimes it's twelve," Rhodey spoke up.

Bruce adjusted his glasses without saying anything as he walked over to the large machine in the corner, wheeling it over to Tony and pulling out several electrodes.

"What's that?" Tony asked, irritatedly.

"This is how we monitor what your heart is doing when you don't tell us," he responded gruffly. "Shirt off."

"No way." Tony brushed him off with his hand. "I still have work to do. Could you bring me my laptop and my tools, please?"

"Tony."

"Laptop and tools!" He said sternly.

XXXXX

It wasn't lost on him that five of the original Avengers were holed up in the same room, with Bruce sprawled on the floor, holding a screwdriver while he sat on his chair at the makeshift desk they'd been working at, adjusting the wiring on the switch they'd just made for the gauntlet to lock it.

Steve was in his wheelchair by the window, sitting across from Clint over a game of chess and the scene could've been a replay of any given moment from their collective past, if Natasha wasn't bedridden in the medical bay, her skin alarmingly pale while Tony's bright red face was warm to the touch.

"Can I ask you something?" Bruce said, breaking the hours long silence.

Tony made a quiet sound of consent, not looking up from the open hatch under the gauntlet.

"Are you really afraid that she won't feel the same about you after we contain the foreign energy?"

He looked up, his tongue darting out quickly to wet his over dry lips. "There's some sort of freaky, mystical connection drawing us together, forcing an attraction, quite literally like a magnet," He said, setting the gauntlet down on the table. "And her survival instincts are well aware of what they need from me to keep going. You might say I'm actually under her skin. Now tell, me, how does this work after the fact?"

Clint stood up abruptly from the table. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm damn near starving. I'm ordering food." He gestured to Tony. "Not that I condone any kind of further damage to your heart condition, but would a cheeseburger help you right now?"

"Hell yeah. I'll take two," Tony said. "Heavy on the fries."

"You know, I think she's always been kind of taken with you," Bruce continued while Clint went around the room taking fast food orders.

Tony shrugged.

"I'm serious. Even back when we were planning on running away together. It was really you she had a thing for, man."

"Wait, what? When were you going to run away together?"

XXXXXX

It was late, and most of the team had gone down to their sleeping quarters. Rhodey dutifully discarded the last remnants of their fast food binge before checking to make sure Steve was still okay to sit on watch before making his own way downstairs.

Tony had climbed back into the bed next to Natasha, who was now awake with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

He held his cell phone up to his face. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I can't come tuck you in tonight."

Natasha squeezed his hand, taking in the clearly troubled expression on his face. She could hear the girl's cries through the phone.

"I know, peanut. I miss you too. More than I can ever say. You be good for Mommy. I love you too, sweetie. So, so, soooooooo much." He smiled softly and Natasha knew that the girl was telling him she loved him three thousand.

"I love you more than three thousand, Morgan. Way more." He made a few kissing noises into the phone before disconnecting the call, still holding the phone close to his face.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

He shook his head.

"But you're a prisoner."

He finally put the phone down on the table, running a hand through her hair. "I'm in bed with a gorgeous red-head who tells me she needs my touch to make her feel better. Tell me how that's the same as being in prison?"

She smiled dryly.

"I wouldn't be entirely opposed to handcuffs though."

She swatted his chest playfully.

"Maybe we could ask Pepper to bring Morgan here?" Steve suggested.

"No," Tony said. "I don't want either one of them to worry any more than they already are. They don't need to see this."

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to give her extra hugs the next time you see her," Steve said.

Tony chuckled. "Still the same old Cap."

He looked up when he heard a knock at the door.

"Steve? Bucky's here," Rhodey said. "Says he's here to drive you home."

Steve glanced over at Tony as he took a few deep breaths, leaning away from Natasha for a minute with his hand over his chest. "Tell him I'm not leaving this spot until Tony leaves," he said.

XXXXX

"You were having a dream. Talking in your sleep, but I couldn't make out what you were saying."

Tony glanced up at Steve over the chess board. "I have dreamt about being in that place with her every day since we got back," he admitted, frowning as Steve moved one of his pieces off the board. He looked away, uneasy with the intensity that which Steve was looking at him with.

"Tony. What are you still not telling me?"

He sighed, glancing over his shoulder to see that Natasha was sleeping, seemingly peacefully in the bed. "'It's my fault, Steve."

"What is?" Steve asked gently.

"I was scared when I woke up in that place. Then she was there, and nothing else mattered. We were together, sort of, and if that was it, then I guess it would've been fine. It would've had to be. But she made everything better, somehow."

Steve listened carefully, his expression open and kind.

"Then I felt her being pulled away, and I don't know. I guess I panicked. I didn't realize at the time that it was Strange bringing her back. I was selfish. And I tried to keep her with me. I just kept pulling and pulling….. fighting it…."

"Tony."

"It's my fault," he repeated. "I did this. Whatever is missing, whatever it is she left behind in the place… it's because I took it from her. And I don't know how to fix it."

He finally looked up when Steve didn't say anything for a few full minutes.

"When are you going to realize that not everything is your fault, Stark?"

Tony was quiet as he looked at Steve. He barely heard the old man whisper, "Think past what you see in front of you. Think past yourself, Tony…"

XXXXX

6\. "I just want you," her voice said fearfully, desperately.

"Hold on, Tasha! Hold on tight," he urged, his heart pounding in his ears, his breath puffing with the struggle to keep her with him.

An invisible force was pulling her right out of his arms, but he was still holding on. A warm, tingling sensation started to spread through him where their fingers were still connected, traveling through his wrist, up his arm and over the rest of his body.

"I just want you," she repeated as she was pulled away.

A flash of orange sparks sliced through the perfect white and he looked up at her, just in time to see the flicker in her eyes before she was taken away.

XXXXX

"Tony?" Steve waved his wrinkled, bony fingers in front of Tony's face. "Hey. Where were you, just now?"

His eyes widened, his mouth gaping open as his pupils locked on Steve's concerned face.

"It's the soul stone," He said.

"What?"

"Strange! Get in here now!" He said over the intercom. His breathing came in fast, hard gasps as he turned back to Steve.

"Easy, Stark," Steve said, wheeling around the table to reach for him. "Breathe."

"FRIDAY! Tell Strange to come here now," He demanded.

The door burst open and Strange strode purposefully into the room with Bruce and Rhodey in tow.

"It's residual energy from the soul stone, it's still inside her," he said, a note of panic in his voice. "It's the soul stone. It's trying to reclaim her. That's the mystical energy that's sucking the life out of her."

"And you touched all six of them," Strange said. "Very good, Stark."

"That's it. That's the connection," Bruce said thoughtfully.

"Did you know?" Tony asked.

"I suspected, but I wasn't sure," Strange said.

Tony's eyes narrowed. "Whatever. We'll talk about that later. Right now we have to go back there. To that place."

"I can get you there," Strange assured him. "But you'll have to get to the exact spot you were when you were separated. Do you know how to navigate your way once you're there?"

Tony shook his head. "No." He looked over to where Natasha was still sleeping. "But she does."


	14. Chapter 14

Tony stood alone in his lab, staring face to face at his Mark LXXXIV suit.

He could hear the hustle and bustle of the team right outside in the hall and he looked up when he heard the doors slide open.

Natasha was clad in her black widow attire, an older suit that he'd made for her back in the day. Clint and Laura stood on either side of her, clearly supporting her as she walked into the room.

He held his arms open and she hurried into his embrace, leaning her head against his chest as he secured his arms around her waist.

"You look hot," he said, forcing a smile.

"You feel hot," she said worriedly, her hand lightly caressing his neck.

He ducked his head down, leaning it against her forehead.

"Umm…. do I smell like….?"

"No, darling. You smell very much alive, and we're going to keep it that way," he murmured, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of her hair and skin. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, not taking her hands off of him. "Are you?"

"I was born ready," he said with a shrug, placing a hand on the glass.

Strange and the rest of the team poured into the room, with Bruce holding out the freshly refurbished gauntlet.

"You don't have to," she whispered softly. "We can find you something else to wear."

He tapped his bracelet and the light weight armor vanished from behind the glass as it surrounded his body.

"Okay, then," she said.

He flexed his wrist and the nanotech receded, exposing his left hand for her benefit and he quickly slipped his fingers through hers.

"Get in, suck the soul stone energy out, and get back," Strange said sternly. "Don't stay on that plane a second longer than you have to."

"Darn, I was planning on taking my next vacation there," Tony replied sarcastically.

Natasha smiled wryly.

"Everyone, stand back," Strange warned.

Natasha stepped into his space, holding him more tightly through his suit than she ever would've dared to without it and he pulled her into him, momentarily distracted by Strange's twirling fingers and then the orange sparks flew and the room, along with everyone in it, dissipated in a flash.

XXXXX

He opened his eyes into the blinding light, his helmet retracting, and it felt white, endless, and hot.

Natasha's body was tucked under his arm, and she lifted her head, blinking rapidly a couple of times before her eyes adjusted. "The sun," she said quietly.

He nodded.

"I was alone here for awhile, the sins of my past replaying in an endless, bloody loop, before you got here," she said. "It wasn't all bad, though. There were also memories of you guys. Victories. Fun. Family. And then I saw you, and….." She broke off, her voice choking.

"I know," he said softly, setting the gauntlet down on the floor and moving his hands to frame her face. "I know," he repeated.

"I knew what it meant to have you here," she continued. "And I never wanted that for you, but I was just so relieved to have you. Tony."

"Me too, sweetheart." He gently kissed the top of her head.

"You never really finished telling me what it was like for you," she said, tilting her chin back to look up at him.

He was quiet for a long moment before he answered her. "I was scared," he whispered. "I was scared that we would still lose, and it would all be for nothing. I was scared of not seeing my daughter grow up. I was scared of my family moving on without me."

He sniffed. "Scared of this place."

"What changed?"

He kept his gaze steady on hers. "You taught me to dance," he said softly.

"Tony," she whispered, eyes closing as she leaned up to kiss him.

He kissed her back, long and slow, his hand sliding from her cheek to her jaw, while the other found her waist and he pulled her into him.

"I still feel it," she whispered when they slowly pulled apart. "I still feel you inside me."

He didn't even realized that he'd called his Iron Man armor off until he felt her body against him and she was slipping her hands under his shirt.

He shivered slightly at the unexpected touch. Her hands felt ice cold on his belly even though he knew his skin was burning hot.

"Sorry," she murmured, slowly pulling her hands away.

"No," he whispered, moving his hands over hers and holding them against his skin under his shirt. "Don't stop touching me." He closed his eyes as the pleasant, tingling sensation started to take over until he couldn't feel the cold anymore.

"I don't want the connection to go away," she admitted.

"We're still connected," he told her. "After everything we've been through together? We're still connected."

She nodded. "Okay. I'm ready now."

He bent to pick up the gauntlet.

"I'll hold it so you don't have to," she said, taking it from him.

He shook his head. "We'll both hold it."

She placed her hand over the gauntlet, her fingers lightly brushing against his.

"Hey, Nat?" He used his free hand to tilt her face towards his again. "When we get back, there's no more red in your ledger. There's no need to make up for past sins. You're a good person, with a good, good heart."

Tears threatened to spill over as she looked back at him, nodding slowly. "And you don't have to be afraid anymore. It's okay, Tony," she whispered.

He gripped the gauntlet tightly, his thumb flicking the switch. He kept his gaze on hers, seeing that strange flicker he'd seen in her eyes the last time and a million emotions washed over him as she closed her eyes. He tightened his hold on her, driven by the haze of a familiar force, joined by an old habit, an eternal connection, and a strong feeling stemming from long ago.

His heart was pounding, although somewhere he knew that it was powered by that feeling and not from an unearthly force and his skin started to feel normal, even though he knew they were in a place where everything still felt white, and endless and hot.

She opened her eyes, and she was smiling and he thought he'd never been more relieved in his life as he realized that her eyes were the same deep green they'd always been when she opened them. He smiled back when he saw that there was nothing else in them.

"Is it over?" She whispered, her lower lip trembling slightly.

He nodded. "It's done," he assured her. "How do you feel?"

"Alive," she said, the hint of a smile still on her lips. "How do you feel?"

"Ready to go back," he answered.

She looked down at the gauntlet. "What do you want me to do with this?"

He shrugged. "Leave it here. We don't need it where we're going."

She set it down carefully. "Okay. How do we get home?"

His eyes widened suddenly in alarm.

"Tony?" She asked, a tone of panic creeping into her voice. "Didn't Strange tell you how to get back?"

"No," he said.

"What?" Her eyes were now just as wide as his. "No! We can't be stuck here, we have to go home!"

"Tasha…."

"I don't know how to get out of this place!" She said, tugging on his shirt collar. "Are we going to be stuck her for an eternity?"

"No," he whispered, reaching for her with one arm. "I know what to do."

She ducked under his embrace, squeezing him hard. "What do we do?"

"You don't have to do anything, sweetheart. Just hold on tight."

She settled into him, leaning into his one-armed hug, and watching as he raised his other arm, holding up his hand.

She gasped in realization as he took a deep breath. "Tony, wait. No!" She shouted.

Then he snapped his fingers and everything went dark.


	15. Chapter 15

"Wake up, Stark."

His eyelids slowly fluttered open as his senses followed the sound of the distant voice, his mind trying to place it.

A hand reached out to him, and he took it, letting himself be pulled up. "Steve?" He blinked a couple of times to clear his vision.

"No, Stark. It's not Steve Rogers," the older voice said.

His eyes widened with the realization of where he'd heard it before and suddenly everything came into focus. "Ho. Yinsen."

The older man smiled, a kind smile.

"Did I die again?" He asked, placing a hand to his chest and feeling his heart still beating.

"No. You are very much alive, I assure you."

He frowned. "Where am I? What are you doing here?"

Yinsen studied him closely. "It was you who came to me, was it not?"

Tony swallowed thickly.

"Perhaps you have something left to say, or maybe something that you need to hear."

"It's been awhile," Tony said. "I tried to find you the last time, but I…."

"You were distracted by the presence of a pretty red-head," the man said in his soft tone. "It's alright. I understand."

Tony sighed. "Yeah, well, could you explain it to me? Because I don't."

Yinsen took a step closer, his eyes still locked on Tony's. "I told you not to waste it. It seems you didn't."

He was quiet for a moment, taking in the man's words.

"And yet you carry the guilt of the world on your shoulders still. Why?"

Tony shook his head.

"You loved a woman, Stark. And you raised a family that is more beautiful on the inside than it is out. You've certainly had your fair share of things happen to you in recent times. But then you were given another chance, and now you love another woman. Tell me, what is your crime?"

He snorted. "You already know my laundry list."

"Do you fault your wife for moving on after you died?"

He thought for a moment. "Hmmm… I guess not."

"Do you fault your best friend for taking care of your family while you were away?"

He shook his head again.

The man's smile widened. "There was a time when the selfishness inside your heart would've had you finding fault with all those things and more. But now your heart is pure."

He pressed his lips together.

"Your sins are in the past, Stark. And you've been given a second chance, a chance that you very much deserve. You have come a long way from the scared, broken young man I found in that cave all those years ago. Your passion for fixing things that are broken has allowed you to open yourself to finding new ways to fix what's wrong with the world. And you've fought valiantly with your friends and loved ones by your side."

He closed his eyes against the tears that threatened to spill, his throat feeling tight.

"The choice you made is not one that was meant to be made lightly, and you made it with a heavy heart. You believed that you would succeed, and look what you did. The same Iron Man that was created to give oneself a second chance was allowed to give the world a second chance."

"Why am I here?" He whispered, still squeezing his eyes shut. "Tell me why I'm here."

"I've already told you. You deserve another chance," Yinsen whispered back. "You're a good man, Tony Stark. And the world is not done with you yet."

He felt, more than heard the man step closer to him until he was right in front of him.

"Only you know how to fight your demons. Go now. Keep fighting them. Your friends will be by your side. Your family will be by your side. And just like I have always been since the day we had to part, I will continue to be right here."

He opened his eyes, the tears streaming freely down his face as Yinsen placed his hand in the center of his chest, where the old arc reactor used to be.

"A long time ago, I asked you not to waste it. And you certainly didn't. You didn't waste it, Stark. Don't let this one go to waste either."

Tony nodded, unable to speak as he swallowed hard to clear the lump in his throat.

Yinsen raised his hand from Tony's chest to the back of his head, pulling his face down and placing a kiss on his forehead. "I'm proud of you, son," he whispered. "Now go. Your family is waiting for you."

XXXXX

"Is he waking up?" A young, soft voice said. "Daddy?"

He opened his eyes and looked around, trying to take in his surroundings and quickly realizing that he was in the bed in the medical bay at the tower.

"Daddy!" Morgan was bouncing up and down on her feet at his bedside, holding onto Pepper's hand.

Happy stood up from where he'd been sitting in a chair in the corner and Rhodey was standing on the other side of his bed.

His still teary eyes locked with Pepper's and she met his gaze, asking him a silent question. He nodded slowly and she lifted Morgan up, placing her on his chest.

"You couldn't come home to tuck me in, so we came here to tuck you in instead, Daddy," she said, her little legs straddling his stomach while her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Thank you, sweetie," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her small body as the tears continued to flow. He looked up at Rhodey. "Nat?" He asked.

"She's fine," Rhodey assured him. "Whatever you did, it worked."

He nodded, closing his eyes as he continued to embrace Morgan fiercely.

She rubbed her chubby little hands over his wet cheeks. "Why is Daddy crying, Mommy?" She asked.

Pepper smiled a watery smile as she took the few steps to join them, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed. "It's okay, Morgan," she said softly. "Daddy's okay."

He closed his eyes as Pepper pushed her hand through his hair.

"It's going to be alright," she whispered. "You're okay, Tony."

XXXXX

Natasha woke slowly, feeling herself groan at the fluorescent lights.

"Nat," she heard Clint say and she tightened her fingers around his when she felt him hold her hand.

"Clint?"

"Yeah," he said softly. "Laura's here too. And the kids are downstairs. They wanted to come up, but we weren't sure how you'd be."

Laura moved closer, offering a friendly smile. "How are you, Nat?"

"I think I'm okay," she said. She made a move to sit herself up. "Where's Tony?"

"He's fine," Clint assured her. "He's sleeping, the last we heard a few minutes ago."

She put a hand to her chest, letting out a breath. "He's been through a lot."

"You both have," Laura added.

"Pepper and Morgan are with him. I'll take you to him, if you want," Clint said softly.

She shook her head. "No. Just let him rest."

"Okay," he said, squeezing her hand again. "Can I go get the kids? They're all anxious to see you."

She nodded.

He leaned over, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "Be right back," he promised.

Laura peered closely at her after Clint left the room. "He was never going to be okay without you, you know," she said gently.

Natasha smiled.

"Nat. How are you, really?" Her friend asked, a concerned expression on her face.

"I'm fine. No more bad soul stone vibes. And it looks like I don't need to suck the magic energy out of Tony anymore."

"You want to see him," Laura said. "We can all go visit him together."

"I want him to spend time with his girls and get some rest," she said. "He needs it."

"Okay," Laura said with a nod. "But you know, you're one of his girls too. I'm sure he'll want to see you sooner rather than later."

Natasha shrugged.

"Nat," her friend said softly. "No matter what happened to you two out there, and no matter what happens right now with his family…. he's still the same guy who took you to the Louvre on the first date. There's gotta be a second date after something like that, you know?"


	16. Chapter 16

Her two-toned hair shone like fire in the sun and her smile was even brighter. He paused on the steps leading out onto the patio, watching her as she laughed with the Bartons' kids while a few of the younger Avengers played flag football nearby.

She looked up when she felt his eyes on her and waved him over.

He slowly made his way to her, patting his teammates on the back as he passed them.

"Hey," he said once he was right in front of her.

"Hey," she said softly, her smile widening.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," he added.

"No random sickness or fainting," she replied. "Which is a good thing, cause I'm going to need all the energy I can get to keep up with these three monsters."

For some reason, Nate found that hilarious and he giggled wildly.

Tony leaned down to ruffle his hair. "Do you want to go for a walk?" He asked. "Or I could come back later…"

"Ummm…." She looked over her shoulder and Laura rushed over to the kids, nodding encouragingly at her. "I guess now is perfect," she said with a grin, falling into step beside him.

"How are you?" She asked.

"I'm fine," he said immediately.

She nodded. "Right. You always are."

He sighed. "Sorry. Habit."

"It's okay, Tony," she said gently.

"I'm actually doing really well. Things with Pepper and Happy seem to be improving, my temperature is back to normal, and oh yeah, I don't have to worry about having a heart attack at the drop of a hat."

"Definitely a plus," she said, holding up her palm to him and gazing up at him.

He pressed his hand to hers, letting it lie flat for a long moment before curling his fingers around hers.

"No weird energy," she said quietly.

"Guess it did work," he murmured, squinting slightly at their conjoined hands.

She lightly pressed the fingers from her other hand against his wrist. "And your pulse is normal," she said with a smile. "I am going to miss your cute rosy cheeks, though," she added.

His eyes searched hers, finding a mischievous glint.

"Guess I'm just going to have to find other ways to make you blush," she said in a low voice. She tugged lightly on his arm, lowering their hands, but she didn't let go, swinging their hands slowly as they walked.

He glanced sideways at her with a slightly puzzled expression. "I don't embarrass easily," he warned.

She winked. "We'll see."

He was inwardly trying to convince himself not to wonder too hard if she was flirting or teasing when she stopped short and he almost walked into her. He looked down, following her gaze and freezing in place when he realized they'd reached the end of the property, and their graves.

She squeezed his hand, leaning her head against his shoulder and he broke contact only long enough to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "I'll see about having those removed," he murmured.

She shook her head. "No. Leave them. It happened, didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did. Hey, maybe we should leave the grounds for a little bit. It's a nice day. You want to go to the park, or something?"

"Yeah," she said with a bright smile. "But… uh…. shouldn't you make some sort of attempt to disguise yourself?"

"Oh, right," he said with a frown. He pulled out his sunglasses and adjusted them on his nose.

"I don't mean to go all super spy on you," she said, folding her arms across her chest as she regarded him. "But your secret disguises need a little work. Nineteen hundred dollar frames don't exactly scream 'I'm not Tony Stark.'"

He laughed, nodding over to the garage. "Come on," he said digging into the trunk of his car and pulling out a hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap. "Better?"

"For a quick stroll, at least. Next time we dye your hair blonde."

"I don't think so," he said, grabbing another cap and placing it on her head before leading her in the direction towards the park.

He held out his arm and she eagerly took it, holding onto his bicep.

"It's been awhile since we got to hang out like this," she mused. "I missed this."

"Me too," he said softly.

They turned the corner onto sixty-ninth street and the trees thickened.

Once they were inside the park, they could hear street musicians playing instruments in the distance, children's laugher and dogs barking and Natasha blinked against the sun on her face.

"The real sun," she said happily.

He couldn't help but smile as he watched her gawk in appreciation at everything, from the birds chirping as they rustled tree branches nearby, to the ice cream truck vendor setting up shop on the street outside the gate.

"You really do seem better," he said. "How are you feeling, really?"

"I feel like my senses are my own," she answered. "Like my skin is real, like my heart is on fire. Why, how do you feel?"

He swallowed thickly. "I feel like everything is starting to make sense."

She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

Just then, a small dark haired boy ran full speed towards them, wrapping his arms around Tony's legs.

Tony doubled back a few steps, startled.

"Ryan! I'm so sorry," an older woman wheezed as she hurried to catch up. "My grandson just wanted to say hello. He insists that you're Iron Man, but I told him you can't possibly be."

He looked down at the boy, who was now grinning up at him. "Thank you, Iron Man," he said brightly.

"For what?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"For everything," the boy whispered.

He embraced the child back before sending him back to his grandmother. "You're welcome, buddy," he said softly.

The grandmother smiled kindly as she took the boy's hand. "Thank you, Mister."

"I have a daughter his age," Tony told her.

"Then you know why it's so important for him to be able to thank Iron Man in person," she said before she tugged the boy away.

"Tony, look!" Natasha said, pointing wide eyed into the clearing to their left.

He followed where she was looking, nearly gasping out loud as he saw the brightly colored, hand drawn paintings and signs spelling out "Thank you, Avengers," in various ways hung up along the outer fence.

All around them people were riding bicycles, walking their dogs, throwing coins into the fountain, playing hopscotch with their kids, jogging with earbuds in their ears, or just walking arm in arm as they were.

"This is real too," he breathed.

"Yeah," she said, looking up at him. "It is."

He swallowed hard, wiping the tears from his eyes. "What do you want to do now?" He asked. "We literally can do anything you want."

"Actually, can we go home? I think I want to talk. Alone."


	17. Chapter 17

He stopped when they got to the door leading to her quarters but she quirked an eyebrow, beckoning him to follow her inside.

"What's on your mind? Are you okay?" He asked, searching her features.

She nodded. "Thanks to you," she whispered. "You've always taken such good care of me since we got back. I would've been lost without you. In more ways than one."

He swallowed hard, not sure what to say.

"Tony. You sang to me?" She said.

He smiled softly. "Yeah, well. You asked me to. I was trying to make you comfortable. I would've done literally anything in that moment if it would've meant anything at all."

"It meant a lot," she told him. "And who knew you could sing? You're actually really good."

"Ha!" He said, brushing off the compliment. "I'm Tony Stark. I'm good at everything."

"I hope so," she whispered, moving closer.

He lowered his head, wrapping his arms around her when she embraced him fiercely.

"Am I still your favorite redhead?" She asked softly.

"Sweetheart. You're always my favorite redhead," he promised as he hugged her back.

She smiled, leaning her head against his chest. "Your heart's not beating fast," she murmured.

"Give it a minute or two. Keep holding on to me and see what happens," he said dryly.

"I want to hold on to you for longer than that," she whispered.

She looked up at him, pulling his hat off her head and tossing it onto the couch.

He did the same, shrugging out of his hoodie and hat and discarding them where she'd indicated before taking his glasses off and folding them on the table.

He gestured to her messy hair, reaching out and patting it down before he could talk himself out of it, letting his thumb and forefinger caress her temple as he tucked her long bangs behind her ear and she sighed softly, leaning into his touch as she shivered.

"Really?" He whispered softly, his eyes hopeful.

She nodded. "I thought you were a genius."

"I thought the…. the connection…. the attraction…"

"Tony," she breathed, closing her hand over his wrist. "You said so yourself. We're still connected, right?"

He breathed a slow sigh of relief. "Right, Natasha."

"No magic force, sinister or otherwise can ever change the way I feel about you," she said softly.

"Which is….?"

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Why don't you kiss me and find out?"

He lowered his hand to her jaw, tilting her face towards him as he leaned closer, closing his lips over hers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, eagerly kissing him back and sighing into him.

He rested his hands on her waist, moving his mouth over hers until she parted her lips, letting his tongue press against hers.

She slid her hands from his shoulders down to his chest, clutching at the front of his shirt as they continued their heated kissing. "Your heart's beating fast," she whispered against his mouth.

"A perfectly normal, healthy reaction, I can assure you," he insisted, reaching for her again.

She smiled as he kissed her neck. "I have a confession to make."

"Hmmmm?" He asked, pressing his lips to her jugular.

"I didn't just want to get you alone so we could talk," she whispered with her mouth pressed against his ear.

"Oh? Did you want to pick up where we left off?" He murmured, slowly backing her into the room.

She nodded. "Too much?"

"No." He shook his head, pressing a soft kiss into her hairline. "Just enough."

"Okay," she whispered. She tugged lightly on the hem of his shirt. "Then I think this was off."

He smiled, pulling his shirt off and tossing it on the couch with their disguises. "If we're really getting technical here, I think you were on top of me," he said, his voice a little husky.

She grinned, slowly sinking into the bed with him. "I think you're right," she said, moving her leg over his hips to straddle him.

"Probably were about to do something really naughty to me," he said, eyes twinkling mischievously as he folded his arms behind his head.

"Probably," she replied, lowering her head to kiss him again.

He pulled his arms out from behind his head, leaning against the pillows and wrapping his arms around her instead, holding her close while they kissed.

She closed her eyes, making soft sounds as they kissed and lowering her hands to his bare sides.

He slowly moved his hands under her shirt, feeling her stomach and lightly tracing the curve of her ribs. "You're so soft," he murmured, lowering his head and going for her neck again.

"Mmmmmm," she murmured as he nibbled his way down her throat. "Tony, your heart is beating much faster…." She said, a hint of concern in her voice as she smoothed her hands over his chest.

"I told you, it's a perfectly normal reaction. Nothing to be worried about," he promised, running a hand through her hair and gazing into her face to reassure her. "Okay?"

She nodded, ducking her head into his neck. "Okay."

He gently rubbed his hands over her back underneath her shirt. "Any other reaction you might feel is perfectly normal too," he said, kissing her face until she pressed her lips to his again.

She laughed, burying her face in his chest and kissing lightly over his scar tissue.

He tugged gently at the bottom of her shirt, slowly sliding it off and letting his hands trail down her arms before gripping her waist again.

Her hair spilled over in a red curtain around his body as she continued to kiss all over his chest and he closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of having her everywhere at once and slowly guiding her hips with his hands as she spread her legs wider around him, her knees clutching his sides.

She darted her tongue out, tasting his skin as she kissed down his ribs, sucking in a breath as he moved his hips to grind up into her.

Her hands were driving him crazy, fingers slowly sliding in and out of his belt loops and he moved one hand to pop open the button at the front of her jeans, tugging the zipper down and deliberately moving his hand between her legs as he loosened her clothing.

"Tony," she breathed.

"C'mere, sweetheart," he murmured, sitting up and placing her weight in his left arm, palm cradling her back. "Can I take this off?" he asked, his right hand fumbling at the clasp of her bra.

She nodded wordlessly and he undid the hooks, sliding his fingers under the straps and kissing along her bare shoulder as he tugged them down and pulled her bra off.

"God, your breasts are even more gorgeous than I imagined," he murmured, gently rolling her over until she was laying on her back and he was leaning over her.

"You imagined my breasts?" She asked, trailing her fingers over his face.

"Hell yeah," he said. "In those first months after we met it was practically all I pictured whenever I-"

"Tony!" She pushed a hand over his mouth. "You really don't embarrass easily, do you?"

"Nope," he said with a grin, kissing her palm. He leaned down to kiss her, hands slowly moving up her body until he was gently caressing her breasts and she sighed as her nipples hardened beneath his fingers.

"There, now your heart's beating fast too," he said, kissing along her jaw and up and down her neck while his hands went to work.

She moaned softly, eyes closed, one hand reaching out to tangle in his hair and he lowered his face, trailing kisses down her collar bone and across her chest as he felt the pressure of her hand on his head increase until he was kissing in between her breasts.

He closed his lips over her nipple, sucking softly and teasing her other nipple with his thumb until he switched, then moving his mouth slowly down her sternum. "You have no idea how much I want you," he whispered over her skin, his fingers lightly skimming down her sides. "How much I've always, always wanted you."

"You can have me," she murmured, eyes still closed as she arched into him.

"Okay," he said quietly, moving both hands over her breasts while he kissed down her ribs, then slid his hands down her stomach.

Her breathing was audible as his lips trailed everywhere his hands touched, kissing her stomach. Her muscles tightened as he kissed her and he moved his hands lower, feeling a quiver in her belly that made him weak.

He gripped her waist, raising his eyes to look up at her face, but her eyes were still closed. He slowly continued to move his mouth lower until he was kissing over her panties.

She moaned as he moved his lower lip deliberately and he inhaled deeply. "Just for the record, you smell absolutely intoxicating," he said, pressing his nose against her center.

He kept kissing her through her panties, his fingers tracing over her hipbones. He could tell she was wet and he caressed his thumb over her pubic bone while he pressed his mouth into her.

She made no move to stop him, her fingers tugging lightly at his hair , eyes still closed as she arched her back, so he tugged her underwear down, moving them out of the way before he kissed her again.

She spread her legs for him, nearly panting as he slid his tongue back and forth a couple of times. "Oh, Tony, that feels good," she moaned.

"Good," he murmured, caressing the insides of her thighs as he ducked his head lower. "Then you just relax and enjoy it, baby."

He licked her slowly, using the soft sounds she was making and the pressure of her fingers in his hair to guide his pace as he went down on her.

It only took a couple more times before she was nearly whimpering, one hand fisting in his hair while the other one tightly gripped the sheets and then he felt the muscles in her thighs tighten and a fresh gush of wetness on his tongue and then she was moving her hips against his face and crying out as she came.

"Oh, baby," he murmured, leaning over her and holding her close. "I told you I was good at everything."

"I'm pretty good at some things too," she said in a low voice, reaching a hand down to undo his pants.

"Hold on," he said, catching her wrist in his hand. "I want to touch you."

She looked up at him, eyes wide as he slid a hand between her legs.

"There's nothing to stop me from touching you now," he said softly with his mouth pressed into her hair. "And you're certainly wet enough," he added, pushing a couple of fingers into her.

She moaned deeply. "There's nothing to stop me from touching you, either," she said, reaching into his boxers.

He groaned loudly as she stroked him while he fingered her.

She kissed his neck, her teeth scraping against his flesh. "I want this," she moaned and he could feel his cock twitch in her hand.

Her muscles responded to his reaction and he could swear definitively that having her touch him while he touched her was the hottest thing he could imagine.

Until she flipped him onto his back and pinned him to the mattress with her thighs, holding his wrists above his head in her hands as she stretched over him.

"That's not how I wanted to make you orgasm," she said, tracing the outer shell of his ear with her tongue seductively.

"Nat," he moaned as she licked a trail down his neck, tracing his pecs with her tongue and nipping at his ribs.

He nearly whimpered when she bent down to kiss his stomach, her breasts lightly brushing against his hardened length too precisely to be anything other than deliberate.

"That's so not fair," he whined.

She grinned wickedly, gripping the base of his cock with her hand and swirling her tongue around his tip a few times before licking his length.

"Shit," he moaned, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the pillows.

She took him into her mouth, her lips pulling back and forth as she went up and down his length. She moved her hand over his balls, squeezing lightly and he had to bite his lip when he felt the back of her throat.

"Baby, that's so good," he moaned. He opened his eyes to watch her, reached a hand down to smooth her hair back away from her face while she sucked his cock.

Her eyes were closed, her hand was back around him and she looked like she was enjoying it just as much as he was.

The thought nearly made him lose track of himself, but he moved his hand from her hair to gently tap her chin.

"Nat, baby, I'm gonna come," he warned her.

She gave no indication of stopping, eyes still closed, humming softly and he could feel the vibrations from her throat.

He gripped the edge of the mattress, his hips jerking forward as he lost control, spilling into her with a loud grunt.

She swallowed him down and he fought to catch his breath, panting a little wildly while he waited for his heartrate to return to normal.

She ducked her head into his hip when she released him, and he reached down to tilt her head back to look at him.

"Come here," he said softly, urging her into his arms.

She embraced him tightly, letting him wrap her up in his chest.

"I think I'm in love with you," he murmured against her hair.

She raised her head, gazing at him as if trying to figure out if he was serious, but he couldn't tell what she wanted the answer to be.

"Stay put," she said finally.

"Okay," he said, a little confused.

"I mean don't go anywhere," she clarified, leaning her face back into his chest.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Really? You'll stay the night?" She asked.

"Darling, I'll stay as long as you let me stay," he promised, settling back into the mattress and pulling the covers over her.

She seemed satisfied with that answer, relaxing into him.

"I hope this means you'll go out with me again," he said, idly brushing his fingers through her hair.

"I'll go out with you again," she replied, turning her face to look at him.

"Yeah?" He asked, a soft smile spreading across his cheeks.

"There's the rosy cheeks," she said idly, tracing her fingers over the lines of his slightly flushed face.

"Yeah," she finally answered, grinning back. "I hear Venice is absolutely lovely this time of year."

He laughed. "I'll take you to Venice," he said, gently rubbing her back. "I'll take you anywhere you want to go," he promised.


	18. Chapter 18

His eyes fluttered open and it took him a minute to register where he was, but then he remembered: he was safe, in Natasha's bed. No dreams had come from him during the night, and even though it was still pitch black, he felt totally relaxed, like for the first time since they'd been back he'd just woken up from the best sleep he'd ever had.

She was still sleeping soundly beside him, he could just make out the outline of her still naked body in the moonlight shining through her window.

He propped himself up on his elbow, content to just watch her sleep for awhile and marveling at how lucky he was that the one thing in life he'd always wanted, but never quite managed to have was right here within his grasp.

Her face was peaceful, when she smiled softly in her sleep, he couldn't help but smile back. After all these years, he was still holding on tight to her, only this time, she was holding onto him too.

He reached out a hand, smoothing it over her cheekbone and she stirred. "Tony?"

"I'm right here, darling. Sorry," he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

"Mmmmmm…. too late," she murmured, reaching out and touching his face too. "Are you okay?" She asked once she could think clearly.

"More than okay," he assured her, turning his face and kissing her knuckles. "More okay than I've been in a really long time."

She burrowed into him, pulling the covers tight around herself as she let him spoon her and he gently brushed her hair away from her shoulder, ducking his head down to kiss her bare skin.

"Mmmmmmmmm," she said again, leaning her head to one side.

He kissed her neck softly, one hand sliding over her hip and she rolled over onto her back, baring her naked body to him.

"Tasha," he murmured, closing his mouth over hers and letting his hands roam over her soft curves.

"Tony," she breathed. "I feel….."

"What is it, baby? How do you feel?" He closed his eyes as she slowly stroked her fingers along his goatee.

"Alive," she whispered, raising her leg and sliding it over his hip. "And safe. And warm. And like I really, really, just want you. How about you?"

"All those things," he agreed. He kissed her again, holding her close, his hands exploring her body.

He breathed deeply as her hands started to wander on him.

"This feels so right," she murmured, her voice almost breaking.

"It really, really does," he said, shifting his weight as their kisses escalated.

"I want you," she whispered, pulling him on top of her.

"You have me," he promised, still kissing her.

He moved his hands over intimate places and she moaned softly, arching her back.

"Should I get a condom?" He asked, one hand between her legs, feeling her body's reaction to their heated kisses.

"No." She shook her head.

"Okay," he said softly, pulling his hand away, but she closed her fingers around his wrist.

"You don't need it," she said. "I want to feel you inside me."

She moved her hand down to grip him and he groaned, leaning his forehead against hers. "I just want you," she whispered.

"I just want you too," he whispered back, kissing her as he reached between them to guide his erection into her.

"Ooohhhhhhh," she breathed as he pushed in.

"Tasha," he said softly.

"Tony," she moaned.

He slowly began to move inside her and she moved her hips to meet his thrusts as they gently started to make love.

She wrapped her arms tightly around him, holding him close, chest to chest, stomach to stomach and she wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him on.

She was everywhere, the scent of her skin consuming his senses, the sound of her quiet expressions of pleasure as he delighted in making her feel good, the sight of her red hair spilling over the pillows as he loved her, the taste of her lips and her skin, the feel of her heart beating beside his.

He kissed her face, her lips, her neck, anywhere his mouth would reach, his hands moving over her body as he listened to the soft sounds she was still making.

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too," she whispered. "I don't know when I figured it out, but I do."

"It's okay," he whispered with his mouth against her throat.

He pushed deeper and she closed her eyes, her mouth falling open.

"Tony," she gasped, moving faster. "That's…. that's too good… i…."

She clutched him tightly, burying her face in his neck as she came and he held her, moaning as he spilled into her a second later.

They clung to each other as they caught their breaths.

"Stay," she murmured into his chest.

"I'm right here, baby," he said, softly stroking her hair. "I'm not going anywhere unless you're with me."

"I'm with you," she breathed.

XXXXX

Tony stood in the hall next to the press room with his friends, dispensing nervous energy as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"You don't have to do this," Pepper was saying as she straightened his collar. "I can go out there and tell them not to pay attention to rumors, or Rhodey can read the statement we prepared and politely request privacy. Either way, we can handle it."

He shook his head. "I have to do it myself."

"Okay," she conceded. "But we're right here."

Rhodey nodded to her from the doorway. "It's time."

She reached out a hand to touch his face before lightly smoothing out her skirt and following Rhodey through the door.

"I'm proud of you, Tony. You're doing the right thing," Steve said from where he was parked against the wall.

Tony made his way over to him, crouching down until he was eye level with him. "Thanks, Steve," he said, leaning over and hugging him. "I couldn't do any of this without you pointing me in the right direction, Cap."

Steve eagerly embraced him, patting him on the back.

He walked over to the door, leaning against the wall and craning his neck to hear Rhodey's statement to the crowd.

"Do you need anything else?" Natasha asked, eyes wide as she slipped her hand into his.

"Yeah. A hug from my favorite redhead," he replied, holding out his arms to her.

She smiled, stepping into his embrace and letting him wrap her up against his chest. "Gladly," she whispered.

"Maybe a breath-taking kiss from my crazy hot girlfriend to get the adrenaline flowing before I get out there," he murmured, eyes twinkling.

She grinned, titling her head back to kiss him and sighing into him as he pulled her close, pressing his lips and tongue against hers until he heard Pepper start to finish her part.

"Don't just take our word for it that the rumors are true," she was saying as the cameras clicked. "He's here and he's ready to answer some of the questions you undoubtedly have. Ladies and gentlemen, Tony Stark, in the flesh!"

He slowly pulled away, squeezing her hand before taking a deep breath and making his way out to the podium.

The crowd of reporters erupted into claps and cheers and the cameras flashed wildly, nearly blinding him even though he was wearing one of his darker pairs of tinted glasses.

He held up his hands and treated them with a charming smile. "Thank you," he said once the noise died down and people remembered why they were there. "I'm sure you all have a lot of questions. I don't fully understand everything myself yet, but I'll certainly try my best. Let's get to it."

"Mr. Stark," a man in the first row called. "How does your recent divorce effect the fate of Stark Industries? Will we be expecting to see a new CEO in the future?"

"Ms. Potts has been an integral part of the company for more than two decades," he said. "At this time, I don't believe she has any plans to step down from her position, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

He glanced off to the side, where Pepper was standing to the left of the modest stage watching him. She smiled encouragingly at him and he smiled back. "Next question."

"Mr. Stark," an older man said. "Can you tell us a little about your plans to rebuild the Avengers compound?"

"Uh, it's actually the Steven G. Rogers compound now," Tony stated firmly. "The new name will hopefully allow the new team to recall the foundations on which the Avengers were built in the first place, meaning of course, the ideals and values of our great leader, Captain America. And as a whole, I hope we never lose sight of what he stands for. Construction will begin pretty soon. Bigger and better. I'm really looking forward to it." He nodded.

"I have a question, Mr. Stark," a female voice to his right said.

He looked up to find the familiar, smirking face of Christine Everheart and he tried hard not to roll his eyes. "Of course you do," he said, silently acknowledging that so far he'd gotten off easy.

"Forgive me for stating the obvious, but you died…. we all covered the news reports after the battle," she started.

He held up his hand. "Excuse me," he interrupted. "Aliens invaded our planet and half the universe was literally snapped away, and that's the part you're having trouble with?"

Some people in the crowd broke out into nervous laughter, but the insistent blonde gazed at him expectantly with her tape recorder held out.

He sighed. "The truth is, I got lucky. I did what I had to do and I have no regrets. I can't go into specifics or the mechanics of it for obvious reasons, but I'm just really, really glad that I get another day to spend with my daughter, and everyone else I love. That, hopefully, I'll watch her grow up. I don't know why I was given a second chance, but I don't intend to waste even one second of it." He paused. "I hope that answers your question."

She smiled. "Welcome back, Stark," she said.

"Thank you," he said, lowering his head.

"Just one more thing," she added.

"Sure," he said, looking up.

"How many times have you said you'd take a step back from the Avengers over the years, only to return a few months later with an even more powerful suit? It's great that clearly you're still the team benefactor, and I trust that the Avengers will be prepared for the next threat, but do you really expect us to believe that we won't see you armored up in the near future?"

He gripped the edge of the podium, opened his mouth, then closed it, pausing for a minute to collect his thoughts while the cameras clicked away. He looked into the hallway, locking eyes with Natasha, Steve, Bruce, Clint, and Rhodey before he opened his mouth to address the crowd again.

"If there's anything I've learned from all of this, it's that nothing is for certain," he said quietly. "There are no guarantees in life. And while it's true that I have no plans to put on the suit ever again… I mean, I am getting older, right? And I have full faith in the capabilities of the younger team members. They are our future, after all."

He swallowed thickly. "My hope is to spend as much time with my family as possible. To figure out my new place in this new world that we are all building together. To indulge new endeavors…..new relationships," he continued, catching Natasha's eye and winking. "So, no. At this time I do not have any plans to engage in active battle with the Team ever again. But I also realize that nothing in this world is ever set in stone. And of course, no matter what happens…

I'm still Iron Man."


End file.
